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Indian Cavendish Bananas

Export-grade Cavendish bananas with year-round availability from India's tropical belt. Premium Cavendish bananas (Grand Naine variety) from Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Kerala. Export-grade quality with consistent length, calibre and ripening profile. Year-round supply via 40' RFC.

Grand Naine · Robusta / Other Cavendish Sub-TypesYear-RoundHS 08039019
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Indian Cavendish Bananas
The category

Why Indian cavendish bananas for export

India is the world's largest producer of banana, harvesting nearly 30 million metric tonnes annually. Cavendish — specifically the Grand Naine cultivar — accounts for the majority of India's commercial export production. Its disease tolerance, predictable bunch yield, and uniform finger size make it the preferred variety for international wholesale and supermarket retail.

Indian Cavendish bananas have distinct advantages over Latin American origins for buyers in the Middle East, North Africa, Iran and Central Asia: shorter transit times (7–14 days vs 25–35 days), fresher arrival, and cost-competitive FOB pricing. For Persian Gulf and Iran markets in particular, Indian Cavendish is the natural sourcing choice.

ZoeM works with cooperative farming networks across Tamil Nadu's Theni and Coimbatore belts (the highest-quality Cavendish region in India) and Maharashtra's Jalgaon district. Our supply is consolidated through packhouses that handle the entire post-harvest chain: de-handing, washing, fungicidal dip, grading by length and calibre, packing into 13.5kg cartons, and pre-cooling to 13–15°C before reefer loading.

Variety guide

Compare varieties & grades

We supply the variety and grade most appropriate to your target market and end use. Below is a side-by-side comparison.

Primary cultivar

Grand Naine (Standard Export)

The benchmark commercial banana globally. Dense fruit, predictable bunches, uniform finger size. Best ratio of quality to volume for export wholesale and retail chains.

  • Finger length 8–10 inches (20–25 cm) typical
  • Calibre / girth 38–48 mm typical
  • Hands per box 4–6 hands per 13.5kg carton
  • Bunch weight (on-tree) 25–40 kg
  • Ripening Predictable 5–7 day ethylene response
  • Best for Retail chains, supermarkets, ripening centres
  • Top markets UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Oman
Specialty / value choice

Robusta / Other Cavendish Sub-Types

Secondary Cavendish cultivars used for select markets that prefer slightly different finger length or skin colour. Available on confirmed orders.

  • Finger length 7–9 inches (varies by sub-cultivar)
  • Calibre 36–45 mm typical
  • Hands per box 5–7 hands per 13.5kg carton
  • Best for Local Asian markets, ripening operations
  • Availability Limited — confirm on enquiry
Origin

Where ZoeM sources from

Primary regions: Tamil Nadu · Kerala · Maharashtra · Karnataka. Full sourcing footprint: Tamil Nadu (Theni, Coimbatore), Kerala, Maharashtra (Jalgaon), Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh.

Season: Continuous year-round harvest from India's tropical belt; peak quality March–June and October–December.

We work with farmer producer organisations (FPOs), cooperatives and direct grower networks in each region. Pre-shipment grading and quality control happens at FSSAI-licensed packhouses and processing facilities close to the source farms, minimising post-harvest delay.

Specifications

Trade specifications

Standard export specifications. Custom grading available on confirmed orders.

HS Code08039019 (Fresh Cavendish Banana)
Botanical NameMusa acuminata Colla (AAA group, Cavendish subgroup)
Primary CultivarGrand Naine
Origin StatesTamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Finger Length Grades8–10 in (standard), 9–11 in (premium)
Calibre / Girth38–48 mm typical
Colour at dispatchStage 1 — fully green, hard
Hands per carton4–6 hands (13.5 kg net)
Packaging (standard)13.5kg telescoping corrugated cartons; polythene liner; pallet of 48 cartons
Packaging (custom)Cluster packs for retail; branded label printing available
Container loadingApprox. 18–20 MT per 40' RFC HC; ~1,350–1,500 cartons; 27–28 pallets
Reefer temperature13–14°C with 90% RH (avoid <12°C — chill injury)
AtmosphereCA optional: 2–5% O2 / 2–5% CO2 for extended transit
Shelf life21–28 days at 13°C green; 5–7 days at ambient after ripening trigger
Shipping portsTuticorin, Chennai, Cochin, Mundra
Quality assurance

Certifications & quality control

Every shipment is certified, lab-tested, and traceable to its source. This is non-negotiable for our buyers and forms the spine of our supplier relationships.

APEDAAgricultural & Processed Food Export Authority — Government of India
FSSAIFood Safety & Standards Authority of India license
GAPGood Agricultural Practices — farm-level certification
MSME / UdyamIndian Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises
IECImporter-Exporter Code — DGFT
NABL Lab TestingPre-shipment testing at NABL-accredited Indian labs

Pre-shipment lab testing — every shipment ships with a NABL-accredited lab report covering relevant quality and safety parameters for the product type (moisture, residues, microbiological, density, colour, etc.). The report travels with the shipment documentation.

Phytosanitary & fumigation — we arrange Indian Plant Quarantine Department phytosanitary certificates and any required pre-shipment fumigation per the importing country’s regulations.

Traceability — we record source farm, packhouse, processing date and container number for every shipment.

Buyer questions

Frequently asked questions

Which Cavendish cultivar do you export?
Our primary export cultivar is Grand Naine, which is the global benchmark for commercial Cavendish banana. We can also supply other Cavendish sub-types (Robusta, Williams) on confirmed orders for specialty markets.
What is your typical finger length and calibre?
Standard export grade is 8–10 inch finger length with 38–48 mm calibre. Premium grade goes 9–11 inches. We grade at the packhouse and certify the grade mix per carton.
When are Indian Cavendish bananas available?
Year-round. India's tropical climate supports continuous harvest. Peak quality windows are March–June and October–December, but supply is reliable in every month of the year.
How many cartons fit in a 40-foot reefer?
A 40' RFC HC typically holds 1,350–1,500 cartons of 13.5kg each (18–20 MT total), loaded on 27–28 pallets.
What temperature do you ship at?
Pre-cooled to 13–14°C at the packhouse, maintained at 13–14°C with 90% relative humidity through the voyage. Below 12°C causes chill injury, so reefer monitoring is critical for buyers receiving in cooler climates.
Do you ship green or ripened?
Always dispatched at stage 1 (fully green, hard). The buyer or their ripening partner triggers ethylene ripening at destination. We provide a recommended ripening protocol on request.
Which destinations does Indian Cavendish work best for?
India is the natural choice for Persian Gulf (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar), Iran, Iraq, and Central Asia, where transit time advantages (7–14 days vs 25+ days from Latin America) translate to fresher arrival and lower spoilage. Suitable for European markets with CA containers and good logistics planning.
What certifications do your banana suppliers hold?
APEDA registered, FSSAI licensed, GAP certified farms, and packhouses operating to international food-safety standards. Where required, we can arrange Global G.A.P. certification on dedicated supply contracts.