Portugal's Madeira Testing Drones to Revolutionize Banana Transport
- @ Cynthia Adina Kirkwood
- 5 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Workers in China cut the fruit manually, then hook the large bunches onto tethered cargo lines attached to drones.
Madeira is conducting several tests with high-capacity drones to evaluate the remote-control aircraft's performance in transporting bananas from steep slopes with difficult access to trucks waiting below, according to the Regional Secretariat for Agriculture and Fisheries, reported SIC Notícias (July 15).
Drones can carry loads of up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). The average bunch of bananas weighs about 50 kilograms (110 pounds), but some bunches may reach 90 kilograms (198 pounds), according to Madeira in Your Pocket.
Drones would take the load off workers and make the transport "faster, safer and more efficient". The reduced handling of the bananas also would preserve the quality of Madeira bananas, said Nuno Maciel, the Regional Secretary of Agriculture and Fisheries, in a statement.
In addition, the drones' effect on production flow would contribute to the preservation of the Madeiran agricultural landscape which, otherwise, would be at risk of abandonment.
"This is a step we wanted to take from the start and one which would bring great benefits to the primary sector, considering the characteristics of our region."
The Autonomous Region of Madeira, one of the administrative regions of Portugal, is formed of seven islands, of which only the largest two are inhabited: Madeira and Porto Santo.
On the western part of the island of Madeira, at the Sitio de Caldeira, in the Municipality of Câmara de Lobos, Minister Nuno Maciel attended one of the drone tests, noting
the "versatility of the equipment".
"If the results (of the tests) are positive, Madeira could be among the first regions in Europe to use high-capacity drones to transport bananas, taking another step in the modernization of agriculture and in the search for solutions adapted to the particular
characteristics of the territory," stated the press release, reported SIC Notícias.
In Europe, the Canary Islands, an autonomous community of Spain, produce bananas, reported La Voz Canaria (July 24). Crete also grows bananas, according to Cretan Bananas, Speciality Produce. Iceland also produces bananas, but in greenhouses warmed by heat from the ground, according to the video How Do Bananas Grow in Iceland? (June 1, 2024).
"Premium Product"
The world's biggest banana producers in 2022 were India (34.5 million tons); China )11.8 million tons); Indonesia (9.2 million tons); Nigeria (8 million tons), and Brazil (6.9 million tons), according to Banana Production by Country 2026, World Population Review.
In Madeira, 25.2 thousand tons of bananas produced were commercialized in 2023, that is, selling them for profit instead of growing them to eat at home, reported the Regional Directorate of Agriculture, according to the Direção Regional de Estatística de Madeira.
The Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) designation is key to safeguarding the income of banana farmers, according to Madeira in Your Pocket. In order to obtain it, bananas must be grown using traditional methods on terraced land; bunches must be harvested by hand when the first fingers show a hint of yellow and ripening must take place in controlled rooms. The prestigious label has helped producers negotiate better prices with wholesalers, who sell bananas from Central and Latin America as well as Africa for less money.
"Madeiran growers differentiate their product by emphasizing quality and sustainability," reported Madeira in Your Pocket. "Retailers on mainland Portugal often display the fruit separately and market it as a premium product.
"Despite the higher price, consumers appreciate its flavor and support the local economy. During the pandemic, when shipping delays disrupted imports, demand for Madeira bananas increased dramatically, highlighting the important of self-sufficiency."
However, even with Protected Geographical Indication status, most of the crop is sold domestically or on mainland Portugal. In the 1990s, the European Union adopted standards for the length and curvature of bananas. Madeiran fruit, which is smaller and shorter than bananas from Latin America, failed to meet these criteria. Locals refer to these criteria as the "Bendy Banana Law".
Footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is a native son of Madeira who recently played in his sixth World Cup for Portugal. Besides the Portugal national team, he now plays for the Saudi Pro League club Al-Nassr. In this advertisement, his mother shared her memories of Madeiran bananas.
The banana of Madeira, often used in Madeiran gastronomy (such as filete de espada, which is breaded and fried blackscabbard fish paired with caramelized Madeiran banana), is renowned for its sweet and intense flavor, creamy texture and its curved but small squat shape. Grown along the fertile, volcanic slopes of the island, this tropical fruit benefits from subtropical climate, offering unique taste and high quality, according to the tourist website, Madeira.
The Madeiran banana dates back to the 16th century, when it was introduced to the island by Portuguese sailors, quickly becoming essential to Madeira's agriculture. Because bananas produce fruit year-round, wherever they grow, they provide a valuable food source between harvests of other crops and are, therefore, important for food security.
A drone delivering a bunch of bananas to a waiting truck in Madeira
Bananas represent one of Madeira's most valuable agricultural products, and they are a vital economic pillar of Madeira's rural communities. Thousands of smallholders grow bananas on plots smaller than 0.5 hectares (1.2 acres). Many of these farmers are retirees or part-time growers who rely on banana income to supplement pensions.
Cooperatives play a central role in supporting growers. They provide seedlings, fertilizer and technical advice; organize pick-ups of bunches; run ripening facilities, and handle marketing. Because plantations are so small and scattered, the cooperatives' logistics are essential to maintain quality and traceability.
Bananas Don't Grow on Trees
Although often called a banana "tree", the plant is a giant herb, according to Madeira in Your Pocket. Trees need a woody trunk to survive and thrive, but a banana plant does not have one. Instead, a banana plant is composed of leaf sheaths tightly wrapped together to form a pseudostem. The plant reproduces by sending up suckers from an underground rhizome. Each pseudostem produces a single large inflorescence, or flower, which emerges from the top of the stem. The purple bud gradually unfurls to reveal rows of banana "hands", each with 10 to 20 individual fruits, or fingers. Once the bunch is harvested, the pseudostem dies back and a new sucker takes its place.
On Madeira, farmers often manage two or three generations of pseudostems on each plant to ensure continuous production.
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