Market of bananas in the city of Lavras-Minas Gerais (Brazil) from 2002 to 2017
Abstract
The banana market has grown considerably in recent years due to the increase in the supply of this fruit, both in quantity, quality and punctuality of the daily / weekly offer in the gondolas of hortifrúti retail establishments. Also, trade has grown due to increased consumer demand for this product, because of the change in people'sbehavior for better quality foods, such as bananas. This work was carried out in the city of Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil, from 2002 to 2017, making monthly collections in hortifrúti retail establishments, using spreadsheets to record the quantities sold, gondola losses with information from the sector managers and per capita consumption made through the ratio of the quantity sold and the number of inhabitants of the city at each stage of the research, in order to know the size of the banana market in this city.
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Introduction
Fruticulture, in general and banana farming in particular, is one of the most prominent sectors in Brazilian agribusiness. Through a wide variety of fruits produced throughout the country and indifferent climates, fruit production achieves significant results and generates business opportunities. Brazilian production was approximately 44.0 million tons in 2017. This production places Brazil as the third largest producer of fruit, behind only China and India [1]. Brazilian production is focused on tropical, subtropical and temperate fruits, thanks to its territorial extension and geographic position. According to the Brazilian Fruit Institute (IBRAF), fruit growing in Brazil occupied an area of 2.6 million hectares, moved 5.2 billion dollars and employed 6 million people [2].
Banana is one of the most cultivated and consumed fruits in nature in Brazil and the world, being the second in the world, behind only the orange. It occupies the first place in the Brazilian ranking of fruits, with more than 106 million tons. In the world, there are more than 125 countries that are dedicated to the cultivation of bananas. In some of them, activity stands out as one of the main sources of employment and income generation [3] ; [4].
Advances in research and development in the exploitation of banana farming in recent decades have enabled the fruit market to grow in quantity, quality and its supply throughout the year.. In this sense, banana farming has expanded considerably inmost countries in the last three decades, from 35 million tons in 1978 to 107 million tons in 2011 [4]. In Brazil, climatic conditions allow the banana to be grown in all states, throughout the year, meeting the demand of domestic consumption. Brazilian banana production was 6.76 million tons, with the main producers São Paulo being 1,089 thousand (1,089 million tons), Bahia with 1,084 thousand (1,084 million tons), Minas Gerais with 773 thousand tons and Pará with 504 thousand tons and the other states with 2,590 thousand tons (2,590 million tons [2].
The main types of banana produced and consumed in the country are: Silver, Nanica and Maçã, which, according to Andrade et al., 2017, in the south of Minas Gerais correspond to 80%, 15% and 5% of production, respectively [5]. The consumption of banana comes from a characteristic that makes it one of the fruits that comes by nature packed, practical, delicious and easy to be consumed in anyplace and time. It is a fruit rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, notably potassium. On the other hand, ease of access also contributes to high consumption rates, since it is found everywhere. The predilection can be seen in the numbers, since about 99% of the national production supplies the domestic market. [6] ; [7]. Consumption of fruits, especially bananas in particular, has grown significantly due to people'sinterest in healthier foods [1]. This trend for better food quality was confirmed in a study conducted by the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics of the University of São Paulo (Cepea-USP), where it increased by approximately 4.38 kg per person year in the period from 2005 to 2011 [8]. This change in people'sbehavior regarding dietary habits has been responsible for the increase in banana trade [9]. The objective of this work was to know the banana trade of the city of Lavras-MG, in relation to the volume sold, percentage of losses in the gondolas and per capita consumption of bananas by the population from 2002 to
Conclusion
The commercialization of bananas in the city of Lavras, MG, Brazil, has increased due to greater supply, quality and attendance and punctuality of delivery in the gondolas; Technological development has provided the best banana production, throughout the year, favoring the supply of fruit to the population and driven the change of habit of people by their daily consumption.