While local vegetable cultivation remained widespread until the 1980s, even today, small farms across the New Territories produce a surprising quantity of fresh food. Most local agricultural output is – and always has been – vegetables; Hong Kong has historically produced little fruit. Seasonal specialities such as lychees and longans come and go at their usual times of year – typically May to July; imported varieties – mostly sourced from Malaysia and Thailand – enjoy a slightly longer exposure in local markets. Some locally grown papayas and pineapples also make an appearance.
Advertisement
But the most widespread fruit produced and sold in Hong Kong all year round has been the humble banana. A perennial local market staple since the mid-19th century, and to this day – along with navel oranges usually imported from North America – bananas remain Hong Kong’s most universally consumed fresh fruit.
But where do the mounds of bright yellow, uniformly shaped specimens piled high on market stalls come from?
Banana plant with green bananas being supported by bamboo rods in a rural village in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock
Certain banana varieties that do well in subtropical climates with a distinct cold season – such as the pale-yellow Sugar – are grown in Hong Kong and elsewhere in south China. Vast quantities are cultivated right across the Pearl River Delta. Intensive cultivation starts just north of Shenzhen and extensive banana farms line the railway tracks almost to the outskirts of Guangzhou. These banana varieties, unfortunately, are not tolerant of frost conditions; a sudden cold snap around Lunar New Year can, and frequently does, decimate early spring production, which creates a sudden shortage.
The principal variety cultivated for sale in Hong Kong is the Cavendish, of which there are three distinct types: Grand Nain, Dwarf and Regular. To the average consumer, the fruit is identical in terms of size and taste. Enormous quantities are produced in the southern Philippines – mostly in Mindanao – entirely for export to Hong Kong. More exotic imported varieties such as red-skin bananas and large, fleshy plantains periodically appear, in limited quantities, in small backstreet southeast Asian grocery shops. More reliable sources for these unusual varieties can be found in larger shops in Kowloon City that specialise in fresh Thai produce; South Wall Road is the best place to seek them out.
Enormous quantities of bananas are produced in the southern Philippines entirely for export to Hong Kong. Photo: Shutterstock
Unlike other perishable imported fruit, bananas are surprisingly forgiving of lengthy transport logistics and local market conditions. They are typically harvested when fully formed but still completely green; this allows a margin of around two weeks for transport to more distant markets, such as northern China and South Korea. On arrival, these need to be treated with carbon dioxide or nitrogen gas, which rapidly accelerates the ripening process; much the same effect can be achieved by placing an underripe banana in a sealed paper bag with an apple. Then the race is on to sell the fruit before it perishes; even with refrigeration, ripe bananas have about a week before their skin becomes mottled and, while still edible, these are not popular with shoppers. Given the shorter transport time by ship from the Philippines, bananas typically selected for the Hong Kong market are almost ripe on arrival, and gas treatment is not required.
Advertisement
Right across the New Territories, in farm areas abandoned by their inhabitants, clumps of bananas formerly cultivated by villagers – along with other crops such as taro and ginger – have gradually gone wild, their unclaimed fruit a welcome food source for both migratory birds and “in-the-know” hikers, who learn just where and when to schedule their tramp for optimal foraging possibilities.
