In the month of May, Japanese households consumed 1.88 kilograms of bananas each, making up 37.5 per cent of total fruit consumed.
It also marked the second-lowest rate of consumption in ten years, at 5.01kg per household, up slightly from 4.86kg in April. The meek numbers can be attributed to a short supply of domestic fruit in Japan’s off-season.
High banana consumption in a time of low overall consumption indicates the recovery of demand for bananas, according to Tokyo Seika president, Jack Moriya.
He said total household expenditure for the month of may was JPY2,449 (US$22.18).
The domestic off-season has given way for an increase in sales of imported fruit like banana and kiwifruit.
Kiwifruit also reached its highest level in terms of expenditure for the past ten years, slightly overtaking that of 2017.
The slight upward trend comes after a continual decline in fresh fruit purchasing and consumption in Japan.
