In the nine countries surveyed less than 5% of dessert bananas, about 24% of plantains and between 30-40% of cooking bananas produced are processed for national and international markets (country statistics on production and processing).

Several types of processing enterprise were identified:

 Micro businesses, the most numerous ones, prepare single products, on the street or from home
 Small to medium businesses, registered and licensed with public authorities, produce diverse products, including Musa products, for the national market
 Processing businesses sponsored by NGOs produce new products for national and export markets
 Large modern processors are much less frequent, but found in every country (types of businesses and products by country)

Products include chips, dried sweet bananas, beer, wine, juice, sauce, baskets and mats from banana fiber, among many others.

Micro-businesses produced simple, often traditional, products using minimal equipment and services. Small and medium businesses also produced relatively simple products, but used more specialized services, while large modern processors often depended on imported equipment, packaging and technical assistance (services used by types of businesses).