Cavendish bananas actually only make up around half of global banana production, however it absolutely dominates banana exports, especially to developed countri

Cavendish bananas actually only make up around half of global banana production, however it absolutely dominates banana exports, especially to developed countries. Basically, this is because cavendish bananas travel well (they are relatively thick skinned, and ripen while traveling reasonably well) while still being reasonably tender and flavourful as a raw fruit (as opposed to other bananas with thick skin that are usually cooked or processed). The high diversity of apple cultivars available in North America is a combination of basically all apples having relatively sufficient storeability and shipability, as well as the fact that apple trees will happily grow across most of the United States / densely inhabited Canada. They are effectively "domestic". Bananas have a far more limited range in the US (mostly limited to Florida and Haiwaii). Breeding new strains of banana is also much more challenging than apples since... well, the bananas people want as a raw fruit are seedless. You're working with trying to hybridize populations of clones. This is understandably more challenging than dealing with apples.