Banana is an herbaceous plant of the genus Musa and is one of the world's oldest cultivated plants.
Banana is native to tropical South and South-East Asia, and is likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea.
The first recorded appearance of bananas in Australia was near Carnarvon, Western Australia in the early to mid-1800s, planted by Chinese migrants who brought them from home.
The banana industry in Carnarvon began with a small planting in the 1940s. Since that time it has grown and become a mainstay of the region’s horticulture industry.
In recent years the area planted to bananas has stabilised at around 180 hectares.
From 2013 to 2015 the average gross value of banana production was $7.9 million, although climatic conditions in Carnarvon and Queensland cause significant price fluctuations. The major market for Carnarvon bananas is the Perth metropolitan area.
The industry is based on land flanking the Gascoyne River, upstream from the coast, spanning 18 kilometres. The average yield of bananas in Carnarvon is higher than the national average at 40–43 tonnes per hectare. Production is periodically affected by cyclones, floods, drought and poor water quality. The major variety grown is the giant Cavendish type, Williams.
Copies of the manual 'Growing bananas in Carnarvon, Western Australia' are available from the DAFWA Carnarvon office.