Egypt’s Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation issues an urgent statement on 19 July 2026 rejecting claims made in a viral social media video that banana bunches and lady finger bananas can gain up to 80 per cent of their weight after harvest. The Ministry describes the claims as entirely unscientific and baseless, and says they are intended to mislead the public and create confusion in the agricultural market.
The Ministry explains that bananas are harvested only after reaching full physiological maturity, while the fruit is still green and firm. Harvest timing is determined by established indicators: the close spacing of hands on the bunch, the rounded shape of the fingers, and a color shift from dark green to light green. Growers also measure fruit diameter, referred to as the “degree,” with a degree of 75 considered optimal for the local market. The Ministry notes that leaving bananas on the plant beyond full maturity raises starch content, making the fruit more prone to splitting and weakening its flavor.
On post-harvest handling, the Ministry says bunches are moved to specialized ripening rooms where ethylene gas initiates ripening under controlled conditions. Temperatures in these rooms are kept between 14°C and 18°C, humidity reaches up to 90 per cent, and the rooms are sealed for 24 hours. Full ripening takes between three and seven days, depending on the fruit’s maturity level, the season, and the concentration of ethylene gas applied.
The Ministry also clarifies that weight differences between banana bunches and lady finger bananas are natural and result from several factors, including the cultivated variety, farming practices such as fertilization, irrigation and pest management, and harvest timing. Banana bunches generally weigh between 10 and 60 kilograms at harvest, while individual hands typically range from 1.5 to 5 kilograms.
The video that prompted the statement features a fruit vendor who says a shipment he received initially weighed around 15 kilograms, then exceeded 20 kilograms when he weighed it the following day. The vendor, who says he has worked in the fruit trade for more than 10 years, states he has never encountered a similar situation. He also claims the bananas’ taste appeared to change from one day to the next, and says the experience led him to share the incident with his social media followers.
The Ministry urges the public to verify agricultural information through official sources and to avoid spreading content that could harm consumers and the broader agricultural market.
Frontpage photo:
© Reino Jonsson | Dreamstime
Source: egypttoday.com
Publication date:
Mon 20 Jul 2026
