Philippines: Banana production up 3%
The PSA said the harvest of banana in Central Luzon, Davao Region and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao increased in the January-to-September period.
“Production in Calabarzon and the Bicol Region recovered from the damages caused by Typhoon Glenda [international code name Rammasun] and in Central Visayas from Typhoon Yolanda [international code name Haiyan],” the report read.
The PSA said additional bearing hills were harvested in Western Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao as a result of the government’s provision of tissue-cultured seedlings.
“Moreover, bigger fruits were harvested in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Eastern Visayas. This was attributed to good soil moisture and less occurrence of calamities during the period,” the report read.
Earlier, an official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Mindanao’s banana output could improve in the coming months due to the onset of the rainy season.
Senen M. Perlada, director of the DTI’s Export Marketing Bureau, said El Niño has adversely affected the country’s banana production.
Perlada and the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association said El Niño is making it more difficult for the Philippines to commit to supply bananas to other foreign buyers.
For one, Iran is keen on buying huge quantities of Philippine bananas following the United Nations’s lifting of international economic sanctions against the Middle Eastern country.
Data from the PSA showed that revenues from fresh banana exports in the January-to-June period fell by 64.66 percent to $241.78 million, from last year’s $684.09 million. In terms of volume, banana exports declined by 62.47 percent to 748,160 MT, from 1.99 MMT in 2014.
Source: businessmirror.com.ph
