Banana: from origin to market. Cultivated bananas are giant herbaceous plants within the genus Musa. They are both sterile and parthenocarpic. There are well over a thousand domesticated Musa cultivars, they are mostly triploid (a few are diploid or tetraploid) and are derived from crosses between two wild species, Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. In terms of production, bananas are the fourth agricultural product after rice, wheat, and maize. They constitute the basis of food security for many people. Cropping systems vary widely around the world and contrasting objectives are encountered: consumption by the producer, sale on local or national markets, export, etc. Cooking bananas, including plantains, must be distinguished from dessert bananas, which constitute a major international trade. This international trade started only in the early 1900s but it has since grown continuously. Banana is currently the most exported fruit, in terms of both value and quantity. Despite the high genetic diversity found within the genus Musa, the export market is mainly based on single Cavendish. There are major challenges to banana production from biotic or abiotic stresses to continue to meet the criteria of sustainability, quality and yield that are imposed.