US to help Philippine banana growers
Banana growers in this Compostela Valley are still struggling to get back on their feet months after Typhoon Pablo swept about 40 percent of their production areas and plantations.
Exporters are having difficulty meeting delivery commitments to prime markets and have delayed banana shipments to the US for almost half a year.
“Losses to banana exporters due to Pablo have exceeded P1 billion (22,836,357.86 USD). We have been forced to stop shipments to some areas,” said Bing de los Reyes of the Mindanao Banana Farmers and Exporters Association (MBFEA).
Banana is the country’s second-largest agricultural export industry, and Compostela Valley is responsible for about 14 percent of total production.
In the last quarterly assessment released by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, banana production, which had steadily risen in recent years, posted declining figures owing significantly to the 16-percent drop in Davao region’s output following Typhoon Pablo.
Source: businessmirror.com.ph
