Red bananas are a variety with a reddish-purple skin. Its fruits are smaller and thicker than those of regular bananas and the colour inside ranges from yellow to pale pink. Some varieties have a slight raspberry flavour. It is very much appreciated in many parts of the world because of its beautiful colouration and delicious taste.
For some years, it has also been grown in the Canary Islands. It comes from America and, genetically speaking, it is closely related to the Canary bananas. Its advantages are its exotic colour and the fact that they can be fried and toasted more easily. Its disadvantage is that its flavour is somewhat sourer than that of regular Canary bananas.
For the time being, they are being planted exclusively for scientific purposes, but if there is demand, they could start being sold. A red banana plantation has practically the same needs as those of other varieties; they only take longer to grow than normal. The Canary Islands Institute of Agricultural Research (ICIA) brought the first seeds from Martinique more than 20 years ago. The fruit doesn't yet have a commercial value, because it is not very well known. It is sold in small local markets in the Americas and especially in Ecuador.
Last year, the Canary Islands produced 393,490 tonnes of bananas, compared with 345,004 tonnes only ten years ago, in 2005. Tenerife and La Palma are the largest producers, with 174,792 tonnes and 131,585 tonnes, respectively. The main destination of this fruit is the domestic market. Canary banana producers are grouped together in the Association of Canary Producers' Organizations (ASPROCAN), whose purpose is to achieve the best possible results for the Canary banana sector.
