Green Bananas in Dominica

Green Bananas in Dominica are harvested before ripening and serve as both a ground provision and a commercial crop linked to the wider banana industry. In homes and restaurants, they are boiled, mashed into porridge, or included in Provision Stew alongside cassava, yams, and dasheen. They are also roasted or fried in restaurants, appearing on menus during Jounen Kwéyòl and everyday cooking. In markets like the Roseau Market and Portsmouth Market, shoppers purchase green bananas by the bunch or “hand,” while supermarkets such as Lindo Mart and Fresh Market offer pre-packaged options. Prices range from EC$2–4 per hand in abundant seasons, but can rise to EC$6–8 when storms or droughts reduce supply.

Farming and Local Cultivation

Green bananas are cultivated by smallholders across fertile valleys and volcanic slopes in villages such as Marigot, Castle Bruce, and La Plaine, with strong historical ties to the Dominica Banana Producers Limited. Farms range from half an acre to five acres, with bananas intercropped with dasheen, coconuts, and citrus for resilience. Support services include post-harvest handling at facilities like the Glanvillia Packhouse and Goodwill Packhouse, which help aggregate, clean, and package bananas for domestic markets and regional shipping. Cultivation remains vital for household food security, as green bananas are accessible, filling, and climate-resilient staples.

Culinary Uses and Traditional Dishes

Green bananas feature prominently in Dominica’s Culinary Heritage. They are boiled and served with fish or salted meats, mashed into a banana porridge for breakfast, or sliced and fried into chips. In Crab Callaloo, green bananas thicken the dish alongside dasheen leaves and coconut milk. They are also combined with codfish in Roasted Breadfruit and Green Banana platters. These preparations make them central not just to daily meals but also to festive dishes, where provisions anchor community gatherings.

Export Industry and Economic Role

Green bananas also form part of the broader banana export industry. During the 1970s–1990s, bananas provided over 60% of Dominica’s foreign exchange earnings, with green bananas shipped under preferential trade agreements to the UK through the Windward Islands Banana Development and Exporting Company (WINBAN). However changes in European trade policy, WTO rulings, and competition reshaped the industry, forcing farmers to diversify. While banana exports declined sharply after the late 1990s, green bananas remain exported in smaller volumes regionally, including to Guadeloupe and Martinique, often alongside plantains. Today, bananas are included in resilience frameworks like the National Agricultural Policy and the Food Security Crisis Preparedness Plan (FSCPP), which identify ground provisions and bananas as strategic crops for domestic consumption and limited export potential.

Cultural, Social, and Food Security Importance

Green bananas provide nourishment and embody cultural heritage, fitting naturally into the continuous rhythm of Dominican life. Weekly market days in Roseau showcase banana harvests, linking rural growers to urban households. For rural families, banana farming supports small incomes and sustains traditional dishes, while urban consumers rely on them as inexpensive, filling staples. Their role in food security in Dominica is reinforced by their resilience: when hurricanes destroy imported supplies, green bananas often remain available, anchoring diets during recovery periods. They also feature prominently in cultural festivals and family gatherings, symbolizing the enduring ties between farming, cuisine, and national identity.