Department of Agriculture - Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division

Commodity Profile
Cardava Banana

Introduction

The word "banana" is a general term embracing a number of species or hybrids in

the genus Musa of the family Musaceae. To the American consumer, "banana"; seems a
simple name for the yellow fruits so abundantly marketed for raw consumption, and
"plantain"; for the larger, more angular fruits intended for cooking but also edible raw
when fully ripe. (J. Morton, 1987, Fruits of Warm Climates p 29-46)
This fruit crop is regarded as a one of the major fruit crop of the 20 th century
because of its massive production and trade. Bananas grown in tropical countries play a
vital role in the economies of developing countries.
Cardava, also known as saba banana in the Philippines has been traditionally grown
for local market. In fact, according to a report of Bureau of Agricultural Research in 2009,
cardava is the worlds fourth most important staple next to rice, corn, and wheat. However,
Philippines Cardava has recently captivated the international market because of its
nutritional value and versatility of use. Cardava is the specific variety of banana which is
processed into banana chips.

Fig. 1 Saba sold in a local fruit stand

Nutritional Value
Banana, in general has been tagged as one of the most nutritious fruits and the
number one fruit of the worlds leading athletes because of the many nutrients that it
possesses including protein, carbohydrates, potassium, vitamins A and C, and iron. Aside

from keeping the body well nourished, bananas help reduce stress and prevent anemia.
These are just a few of the interesting health facts of the banana fruit.

Table 1. Chemical composition of cardava banana per 100g edible portion

Component

Amount

Component

Amount

Moisture (%)

72.2

Calcium (mg)

23.0

Food Energy (cal)

99.0

Phosphorous (mg)

36

Protein (g)

1.1

Iron (mg)

0.9

Fat (%)

0.4

Beta Carotene (cg)

190.0

Total Carbohydrates (%)

25.5

Thiamine (mg)

0.06

Fiber (%)

0.6

Niacin (mg)

0.7

Ash (%)

0.8

Ascorbic Acid (mg)

32.0

(Source: Department of Agriculture, Bicol Region)

Uses
Cardava can be eaten raw or cooked. Turon (banana rolled in a springroll wrapper)
and banana cue (sugar-glazed) are probably the most popular Pinoy favorites using the
cardava banana as the main ingredient. Cardava can also be processed into catsup, vinegar,
wine, banana chips, and the microwavable saba which is a new export product of the
country. Through time, cardava has been an important element in the Filipino cuisine as it
is also included in some of Filipino favorite dishes such as pochero, and estofado.

Figure 2. Cardava snacks

(Source: Google Images)

Soil and Climatic Requirements

Banana grows best at tropical places with temperatures ranging from 22 C 31C
Elevation Can be grown from sea level up to 100 meters above sea level
(Lakatan, Cardaba, Senorita and Morado)
Temperature 22C 31C
Soil - Deep, friable, well-drained with 40% clay, 75% silt and 85 % loam, soil pH
is 6.5.
Water requirement - Average annual rainfall is 2000-2500 mm or 25 mm per
week
Water is necessary on all growth stages. Drain excess water by construction of drainage
canal

Planting Distance
Distance of planting Plants are spaced at 2.0 x 2.5 meters with 2,000 plants per
hectare. This is the standard distance to minimize sigatoka infection.

For high density planting - The plants are spaced at 2 x 3 meters with 2 plants per hill
making 3,200 plants per hectare.
For Cardaba - 3 x 4 or 4 x 4 meters apart

Production
Banana is one of the most important fruits of the Philippines especially in
Mindanao in terms of production and export earnings. Cavendish banana is the most
produced variety of banana while cadava ranks only second. It can be noticed that there is
a huge difference on the volume of production of the two varieties.
The production of cardava variety in the Philippines is primarily for local
consumption and only a portion of the total production is dedicated to processing into
banana chips.

Fig. 3 Percent distribution of banana according to variety

Source: BAS, 2012
The volume of production of cardava banana in the national level is shown to be
increasing from year 2004 to 2009 and slightly declined by year 2010 through 2011.

Volume of Production (Philippines)

Volume (in mt)

3000000
2500000
2000000
1500000
1000000
500000

11
20

10
20

09
20

08
20

07
20

06
20

05
20

04
20

03
20

20

02

Year

Fig. 4 Philippines volume of production, cardava banana

(Source: BAS)

Fig. 5 Area Planted (ha) and Volume of Production (mt) of

Cardava Banana per Region

Volume of Production (Davao Region)

Volume of Production (in mt)

700000
600000
500000
400000
300000
200000
100000

20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11

Year

Fig. 6 Volume of Production of Cardava in Davao Region (2002-2011)

The production volume of cardava banana in the Davao Region slightly fluctuates
but is continuously increasing from year 2002 to 2011.

Fig. 7 Cardava Production in Region XI in 2011

The figure suggests that Davao del Sur has the largest area planted and the highest
producer of cardava banana among the provinces in the Davao Region.

Fig 8. Volume of Production of Cardava (in mt) in Davao Region (2002 - 2011)

Figure 8 reflects that the annual production of cardava banana in Davao region is
constantly increasing from year 2002 to 2011.

TRADE
The increasing demand for healthy food and snacks gave our very own banana
chips to penetrate the international market to compete with the traditional snackfood
potato chips.
Banana chips is the major by-product of cardava banana that is produced for the
export market. Figure 9 presents the Philippines export destination of banana chips with
Vietnam as the lead importer.

Fig. 9 Banana Chips: Export Destination (2007-2011)

Source: BAS
Export quantity and value of Philippines bananas and plantains were at its peak in
the year 2006 and ropped from 2007 to 2010.

Fig. 10. Export Value and Quantity of Bananas and Plantains (2001-2010)
from year 2001 to 2010
Source: FAO

Filipinos abroad is also a potential market for cardava. Because of technology and
innovation, microwable saba is now available and being exported to different destination
countries.
Table 2. Prices of Cardava (2004-2011)
Cardava Banana 2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Farmgate Price*
4.3
4.6
4.52
5.31
5.48
6.19
6.87
6.51
Wholesale Price**
0.91
1.02
0.98
1.13
1.22
1.16
1.26
1.34
Retail Price**
1.2
1.32
1.35
1.66
1.67
1.69
1.78
1.79
Source: BAS
*per kilogram
**per piece

Supply Chain of Cardava

Source: DTI

Industry Challenges:

Production Level:

Low farm productivity

Low area allocation for cardava banana variety

High Cost of inputs

Changing weather patterns

Pest and Diseases infestations

Trading Level:

Market awareness

Fluctuating Prices

Processing Level:

Access to technology for smallholder farmers

Meeting the increasing volume of demand with limited availability of raw

materials

Maintaining the quality standards required by the exporters.