The banana could be in trouble. According to a New Yorker article and video, a devastating banana fungus has struck banana plantations in Asia, Australia and the Pacific. We should note, though, that we are referring only to the Cavendish banana.

Did you know that while there are multiple banana varieties, virtually all bananas that are imported here are the Cavendish? And, we only have the Cavendish because its predecessor, the Gros Michel, was eradicated by a fungus. At the time, growers scrambled to find a substitute and selected the Cavendish. Less tasty but unscathed by the fungus, it became our banana of choice. Indeed, many of us eat more bananas than apples and oranges combined.

So, what will happen? This takes us to banana R&D (Research & Development). On plantations and in labs, growers and scientists are trying to develop resistant strains of bananas so that the Cavendish can survive. So far, Latin American plantations, including Ecuador, a major Chiquita supplier, have not been affected.

The Economic Lesson

Banana R&D represents much more than advancing banana technology. It takes us to who does research and its importance.  For example, government funds research at universities, in the Department of Defense, and the National Institutes of Health. Through tax policy and patents, it encourages research in the private sector. Meanwhile, pursuing their self-interest, businesses ranging from pharmaceutical firms to banana growers engage in basic and applied research.

Basic research has no direct purpose except to discover something new. Applied research is directed toward a specific objective. The development part of R&D refers to methods that move from discovery to production.