Ministry of Agriculture denies claims of unusual weight increase in bananas after harvest

CAIRO – 19 July 2026: The Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation has issued an urgent statement in response to a video circulating on social media claiming that banana bunches and lady finger bananas can increase in weight by up to 80 percent after harvest. The Ministry dismissed the claims as entirely unscientific and baseless, saying they were intended to mislead the public and create confusion.

The Ministry explained that bananas are harvested only after reaching full physiological maturity, while the fruit remains green and firm. It noted that harvest timing is determined by well-established indicators, including the close spacing of the hands, the rounded shape of the fingers, and the color transition from dark green to light green. Growers also measure the fruit's diameter, known as the "degree," with a degree of 75 considered ideal for the local market.

The Ministry added that leaving bananas on the plant after they reach full maturity is not recommended, as it increases the starch content, making the fruit more prone to splitting and diminishing its characteristic flavor.

Regarding post-harvest handling, the Ministry said banana bunches are transferred to specialized ripening rooms, where ethylene gas is used to initiate the ripening process under controlled conditions. Temperatures are maintained between 14°C and 18°C, with humidity levels reaching up to 90 percent, after which the rooms are sealed for 24 hours. Full ripening typically takes between three and seven days, depending on the fruit's maturity, the season, and the concentration of ethylene gas used.

The Ministry also stressed that differences in the weight of banana bunches and lady finger bananas are natural and depend on several factors, including the cultivated variety; farming practices such as fertilization, irrigation, and pest management; and the timing of harvest. Banana bunches generally weigh between 10 and 60 kilograms at harvest, while individual hands typically weigh between 1.5 and 5 kilograms.

The Ministry underscored the importance of verifying agricultural information through official sources and urged the public to avoid spreading misinformation that could negatively affect consumers and the agricultural market.

In a viral video, a fruit vendor claimed that a shipment of bananas he received initially weighed around 15 kilograms, but when he weighed it again the following day, it exceeded 20 kilograms. He wondered how such a significant increase in weight could have occurred.

The vendor, who said he has worked in the fruit trade for more than 10 years, remarked that he had never encountered a similar situation. He also claimed that the bananas' taste appeared to change from one day to the next, adding that the unusual experience prompted him to share the incident with his followers on social media.