Band 7+: The graph below gives information about the price of bananas in four countries between 1984 and 2004. Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The line chart depicts the changes in banana prices from 1996 to 2004 across four countries.

Overall, it is evident that Japan and Germany experienced significant price fluctuations over this period, while banana prices in the USA remained relatively stable. In France, there were slight fluctuations in banana prices.

At the beginning of the period, both France and Japan had the same banana price of $2/kg. However, from 1997 to 1998, Japan’s banana prices surged to $3/kg while France’s remained constant. Over the next five years, Japan underwent significant price fluctuations, reaching a low of $1.5/kg in 2003 before jumping to $2.5/kg. Meanwhile, banana prices in France also fluctuated, eventually returning to the initial $2/kg by 2004.

In 1995, Germany paid $1.5/kg for bananas, higher than the USA’s price of $1/kg. By 2002, German banana prices peaked at $2/kg before dropping to $1.75/kg between 2002 and 2003. On the other hand, after a price increase to $1.25/kg in 1998, the USA maintained a stable price until 2004.