NEW DELHI — Wild banana species are disappearing in India, the world's biggest producer of the fruit, due to shrinking forests and rapid urbanization, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has said.
India is the world's biggest banana grower, with an annual production of 18.52 tons, or more than 20 percent of the total world output of 80.03 tons in 2005, the FAO said in a recent press statement. "But over-exploitation and the loss of forests as a result of encroachment and logging, slash-and-burn cultivation and urbanization are causing a rapid loss of wild banana species that have existed in India for thousands of years," it said.
Bananas are the world's most exported fruit, and the fourth most important food commodity after rice, wheat and maize, the food agency added. India, as the largest producer of the fruit, had contributed significantly to the "global genetic base of bananas," said NeBambi Lutaladio, FAO's agriculture officer.
"But due to ecosystem destruction, it is probable that many valuable gene sources have now been lost," Lutaladio said. "That could cause serious problems because bananas, particularly commercial varieties, have a narrow genetic pool and are highly vulnerable to pests and diseases," he said.
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