The Philippines has reclaimed its position as the world’s second-largest banana exporter, the Department of Agriculture said Tuesday, citing an update from the Food and Agriculture Organization.
“Many thought the banana industry was in decline. This proves that the right interventions can reverse the trend,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said. Laurel noted the Department of Agriculture plans to apply this approach to other high-value crops.
The FAO report credited the rebound to a surge in Philippine supplies following a re-covery from weather- and disease-related setbacks. It highlighted major investments in banana production in the Cagayan Valley, backed by government supplies of organic fertilizers and other inputs.
The Philippine cardaba banana, or saba, is driving export growth through products such as banana chips, steamed saba and banana catsup.
Under the 2025 High Value Crops Development Program, the banana sector received 106,000 planting materials, 120,000 units of organic fertilizer and more than 215,000 biological control agents, such as Trichoderma, to increase plant resilience and reduce postharvest losses.
The sector’s recovery comes despite the continuing threat of Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, also known as Panama disease. The disease has affected about 15,500 hectares in the Davao Region, stripping production from the Cavendish plantations that drive the majority of exports. Officials said controlling the disease is key to sustaining recent gains.
The DA is also grooming 10 additional high-value crops for export promotion: aspara-gus, avocado, cacao, calamansi, coffee, dragon fruit, durian, okra, pomelo and rambu-tan.
Fruits and peels are the country’s second-largest agricultural export. The sector saw a 33 percent year-on-year increase to $244.4 million in November 2025 alone.
