Bananas are withstanding the impact of the global financial crisis more than other agricultural commodities, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a new report. The report predicts that developing countries will continue to register an increase in demand for the fruit, with imports seen to rise 2.5 percent to 2.33 million tons in 2009, driven largely by China. FAO also said that if the recession bottoms out by the end of this year, then the demand for bananas will increase by up to 8 percent next year.

FAO, however, is calling for more resources to go towards creating a global map of banana and plantain diseases. FAO noted that banana diseases could cost growers, particularly small-scale farmers, some USD 4 billion in 2010. Banana Bunchy Top Disease and Banana Bacterial Wilt threaten the food security of 70 million people in 15 countries in sub-Saharan Africa who depend on bananas for their livelihood and food supply. "[The diseases] merit far greater investment in public awareness, basic and applied research and farmer training and production services to growers," said FAO in the report.

For more information, visit http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/38013/icode/