West and Central Africa is one of the major plantain producing regions in the world, producing about 9 million tonnes per annum. This is equivalent to nearly half of the total world output of the crop. Virtually all of the plantain produced in this region is grown on smallholdings and is consumed locally. Plantains are an important staple food of the lowland humid zones, as well as providing a sought-after snack food and side dish in the surrounding areas. In countries such as Gabon, Ghana, Cameroon, and Côte d'Ivoire plantain is among the top three starchy staples, with annual per capita consumption reaching as high as 154 kg/yr.

Average plantain yields in West and Central Africa are around 5 t/ha. Such low yields are attributed to an almost complete reliance throughout the region on traditional technologies and a lack of knowledge of improved production methods.

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region is second only to West and Central in the production of plantains. Throughout the region, plantains provide a staple food, and in many areas, they also provide the raw material for small businesses which produce a range of processed products. Thus as well as food, plantains also provide an important additional source of employment and income generation.

The consumption of plantains reaches a peak in Colombia, with annual consumption averaging 160kg per person, but the crop is also extremely important as a staple food in the Caribbean islands of Dominican Republic and Haiti. Considerable research on plantain production has been carried out in LAC, with improved technologies now being widely adopted throughout the region. Average yields of plantains in LAC are now up to 80% more than in West and Central Africa.

The success of the improved plantain production technologies in LAC has led INIBAP and CTA to believe that considerable benefits could be achieved by extending these technologies to other plantain-producing regions, most notably, West and Central Africa.

It is felt that the best way to extend the technologies is to allow researchers/farmers to actually see the production methodologies in practice and to have the opportunity to discuss the technologies with those using them. In this way, it is felt that the new technologies could more easily be understood and later adapted to African farming systems. It is therefore proposed that a team from MUSACO (Réseau Musa pour l'Afrique Centrale et Occidentale) travel to the Latin America and Caribbean region to learn from the experience of researchers and farmers. This team will then be responsible for transferring the technologies in their own countries.