Agriculture & Food

According to the latest news, the Philippine Department of Agriculture plans to sustainably increase the production of two major fruits, banana and pineapple, as well as other traditional and emerging crops with export potential that can increase farmers' income.

Bananas and pineapples are the Philippines' main agricultural exports, second only to coconut oil and other coconut products. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that Philippine banana exports reached US$1.95 billion in 2019, US$1.64 billion in 2020, and US$920 million in January-October 2021. In the first 10 months of last year, exports of pineapple products (cans, juices, concentrates) exceeded $300 million.

The Secretary of Agriculture of the Philippines said, “We have comparative advantages in exporting bananas and pineapples, so the Department of Agriculture invests in the development of high-value crops through the High Value Crop Development Program (HVCDP). This year, the Department of Agriculture will encourage more farmers to specialize in stable and flexible production. And there are crops on the ready market, which can lead to higher profits.”

The Philippine Department of Agriculture will maintain the Philippines' position as a major exporter of bananas by curbing the Panama disease of bananas, and at the same time will make efforts to develop the pineapple market. In addition to this, the Ministry of Agriculture will work with private companies and farmer groups to increase efforts to promote crops with high export potential, such as mango, cocoa, coffee, bananas and okra.

According to the Bureau of Plant Industries (BPI) of the Philippine Department of Agriculture, 82 Filipino companies have so far been exempted from 100% mandatory inspections after highly complying with Japan's prescribed inspection standards and phytosanitary requirements, and the Philippines hopes to export more cavendis to Japan. Many bananas. In 2021, the Philippines also successfully exported fresh okra grown in Luzon to the Korean market as a supplement to the Japanese market.