Exports from the Philippines’ Davao Region amounted to US$ 756.2 million in the first quarter of 2019; an 82.9 percent increase from the US$ 413.4 million the same period of last year. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)-Davao said there was a total of 1.4 billion kilograms (kg) of different commodities exported from January to March this year.
Bananas remain the region's top exported commodity. This year, a total of 1.03 billion kg of Cavendish and other bananas were exported with a value of US$ 469.7 million, a significant increase from last year's US$ 161.5 million export amount.
Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association, Inc. (PBGEA) Executive Director Stephen Antig however said the value of bananas exported increased as a consequence of low volume due to drought in some parts of Mindanao: “In fact, based on our unreconciled data, volume dropped 7 percent for the first quarter of 2019.”
Aside from bananas, fresh and dried pineapples contributed to the increase of exported commodities this year with a value amounting to US$ 49.5 million.
Other commodities included in the list were coconut copra and crude oil with total value of US$ 45.1 million; coconut oil and its fractions, refined or unrefined oil (US$ 25.8 million); gold, including fold-plated with platinum in semi-manufactured forms (US$ 25.2 million); desiccated coconut (US$ 22.5 million); other fruits like lychees, longans, jackfruits, and mangoes (US$ 20.8 million); activated carbon (US$ 13 million); and gold, including fold-plated with platinum in other unwrought forms (US$ 8.1 million).
Meanwhile, major destinations of bananas as top exported commodity in the region included China, Japan, Korea, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. While fresh and dried pineapples were exported mostly in Japan, Korea, United Arab Emirates, and Iran.
Sunstar.com.ph also reported that coconut or copra and crude oil were exported in the Netherlands, United States of America, Italy, China, and Germany.
