Tropical Mindanao Island is the most famous "banana hometown" in the Philippines. The weather and soil conditions are suitable for banana plantation. This area produces top-quality, sweet bananas. Around 80% of the banana production in the Philippines is located in this area.
Workers wash bananas in a plantation in Davao del Norte
Bananas are one of the main export products of the Philippines. Banana export has been stable for years. In recent years, China has become one of the most important direct buyers of bananas from the Philippines. The president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, visited China in 2016. This improved trade relations between the two countries, and banana export from the Philippines to China grew stronger.
Workers transport bananas in a plantation in Davao del Norte
Official data shows that the value of banana exports from the Philippines to China reached 289 million USD in 2017, which was a growth of 49.5% in comparison with the previous year. China is now the second-largest banana export destination for the Philippines and accounts for 25% of the overall banana export volume. Apart from bananas, the export of pineapples and mangoes from the Philippines to China also increased in recent years.
Workers cut bananas in a plantation in Davao del Norte
Data shows that China imported more than 2 million tons of tropical fruit from the Philippines in the last two years. The growing presence of fruit from the Philippines on the Chinese market is an indication of the increasingly intimate trade relations between the two countries. Last year, the value of the trade between China and the Philippines reached 50 billion USD, making China the largest business partner of the Philippines.
Source: Xinhua News Agency