Mango production in the first half of the year declined by nearly 10 percent to 654,100 metric tons (MT), from 724,870 MT posted a year ago, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA said in its report, titled “Performance of Philippine Agriculture”, the infestation of cecid flies in some regions and rains during the fruit-development stage slashed the country’s mango output in the January-to-June period.
“In Zamboanga del Norte, the early onset of rainshowers during the crop’s flowering and fruit setting [also] caused the decrease in mango production,” the report read.
The PSA said total mango output in the first half was valued at P11.97 billion at constant prices. The figure was 9.76 percent lower than the P13.265 billion recorded a year ago.
Earnings from mango production accounted for 5.55 percent of the P215.28 billion in revenues posted by the crops subsector during the six-month period.
The report also revealed that the country’s banana output in the first half grew 2.58 percent to 4.373 million MT (MMT), from 4.263 MMT produced in the same period last year.
“This was due to the increases in areas and the higher number of bearing hills harvested, particularly, for the Cavendish type from the corporate farms in Sultan Kudarat, Bukidnon, Davao City and Davao Oriental,” it read.
The PSA added that “bigger bunches of banana harvested in South Cotabato and North Cotabato because of sufficient rainfall during the crop’s development stage” contributed to the hike in total banana output during the period.
Banana output in the six-month period was valued at P18.98 billion at constant prices, slightly higher than the P18.53 billion recorded a year ago. Revenues from banana production contributed 8.8 percent to the earnings of the crops subsector during the period.
Pineapple output in the January-to-June period reached 1.288 MMT, 2.29 percent higher than the 1.259 MMT produced a year ago.
The increase was attributed to the expansion in the harvest of corporate farms in Bukidnon, Misamis Oriental and South Cotabato, according to the PSA.
“Moreover, there were increases in plantings in Cavite and Laguna due to reported higher returns on investments from pineapple production. In addition, higher yield was noted in these provinces due to the use of foliar fertilizer in pineapple farms,” the report read.
Revenues from pineapple output during the six-month period reached P10.129 billion at constant prices, 2.2 percent higher than the P9.902 billion recorded a year ago.