Del Norte Quality Fruits

The banana industry continues to offer bright financial prospects to the Philippine economy. Data from National Statistics Office show that banana experts surged 73.4% in June, 2013, compared to 12 months earlier, buoying the growth of total agro-based exports in June, 2013, to 7.6%. Banana exports are expected to further increase because of the shipment of 3, 000 metric tons of Cavendish bananas to the United States of America (USA) in October this year. The USA Department of Agriculture has approved the maiden shipment; for over a decade now, Filipino farmers have been eyeing the entry of Philippine bananas into the USA. The Philippines is the world&＃039;s 2nd largest exporter of bananas after Ecuador. Exports rose due to increased demand from traditional markets such as Japan and South Korea, and new markets such as Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and other Middle East nations. Japan has consistently been the largest importer of local bananas, accounting for 60% of the country&＃039;s total fresh banana export and 15% of banana chips export. The Philippine government looks towards Italy and Spain, as well as Russia, the Scandinavian countries, Canada, and other Southeast Asia countries. Bananas are the 2nd biggest cash-crop export of the Philippines after coconuts. More than 80% of our bananas are produced in Mindanao, with Davao del Norte (16%), Compostela Valley (15%), and Bukidnon (13%) as the top three producing provinces. Significant tracts of land are also devoted to banana cultivation in South Cotabato, Misamis Oriental, Davao del Sur, and in Southern Luzon, Caraga, and Western Visayas. Banana production contributes not only to the national coffers in terms of export earnings but also to job creation. In Mindanao, some 200, 000 workers are employed in banana farms and nearly 535, 000 people depend on the industry.