THE Department of Agriculture (DA) launched a package of interventions to boost the local banana industry which remains to be battered by plant diseases and trade challenges.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. called for stronger collaboration between the government and the private sector to fight the spread of Panama disease and restore competitiveness in global markets.
Tiu Laurel said the spread of Fusarium wilt tropical race 4, commonly known as Panama disease, was the industry’s most urgent threat.
He added that the disease has affected around 15,500 hectares in the Davao Region, which places at risk the Cavendish variety that serves as the backbone of Philippine banana exports.
‘The DA is firmly committed to supporting our banana farmers and exporters in addressing this challenge,’ Tiu Laurel said at the 32nd Joint General Assembly of the Philippine Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) and the Banana Export Industry Foundation (BEIF).
Under the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP) for 2025, the DA said it will distribute 106,000 banana planting materials for farm expansion and rejuvenation, along with 120,000 units of organic fertilizer to improve soil health.
It added that deploying over 215,000 biological control agents such as Trichoderma to protect plant health and reduce postharvest losses.
Meanwhile, Tiu Laurel also acknowledged the growing challenges of bananas in international trade.
He noted that Vietnam has overtaken the Philippines as China’s top banana supplier, while Philippine shipments to Japan continue to face higher tariffs than those from Vietnam, Mexico, and Peru.
‘Unless these inequities are addressed, our market share will remain at risk,’ Tiu Laurel warned, as he urged continued negotiations in the upcoming review of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
He also stressed the need for research on disease tolerance, breeding strategies, and new technologies such as gene editing to secure the industry’s long-term viability.
‘With unity, science, and sound trade policy, the Philippine banana industry will not only recover but thrive,’ Tiu Laurel said.
The Philippines held a six-year streak as the world’s second-largest exporter of bananas before it slipped to third place in 2023 after being dislodged by Guatemala. It maintained the same spot last year.