Agriculture
Fruit / Staple crops
CC BY-SA 4.0
Plantain cultivation
Cooking banana that is a staple in West and Central Africa, used in fufu, kelewele and red-red; susceptible to Black Sigatoka and weevil damage.
Country:Africa
Language:English
Published:2025-09-02
Audience:Smallholder farmers, market traders
A plantain is a cultivar of the genus Musa intended to be cooked before being eaten. Plantains have a thicker skin and starchier flesh than dessert bananas. They are a staple food in West and Central Africa, including Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Ghana, plantain is the main ingredient of dishes such as fufu, kelewele (spiced fried plantain), and red-red. Plantains are propagated vegetatively from suckers and prefer fertile, well-drained soils and high rainfall (over 1,000 mm a year). The crop is susceptible to fungal diseases such as Black Sigatoka, and to nematode and weevil damage.
Keywords
plantain
fufu
kelewele
red-red
Black Sigatoka
agriculture
Source & licence
Disclaimer: This content is provided for general information. Health, legal, financial and government-service items should be verified with a qualified professional or the official authority before action. AfricanGPT does not represent itself as a substitute for licensed advice.
More in Agriculture
Cocoa farming in Ghana: an overview
Ghana is the world's second-largest cocoa producer. Cocoa was introduced in 1879 by Tetteh Quarshie and is now regulated by COCOBOD.
Smallholder maize production: planting and basic best practices
FAO sustainable production guidance for smallholder maize: planting, fertiliser splits, weed control, IPM and safe drying.
Cassava production and processing
Drought-tolerant starchy root crop and staple food for ~500 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa; processed into gari, fufu, kokonte, attieke and tapioca.