SEN. Imee Marcos urged the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other relevant agencies to focus on banana production and research amid the “steep decline” in the country’s market share in key destinations such as Japan and China.
In a statement on Wednesday, Senator Marcos said the government should act immediately to address the situation, as she stressed that the banana industry is facing a multi-faceted crisis due to high production costs, persistent threat of the Panama disease, and unfavorable trade agreements.
Even aggressive marketing cannot solve the problem, she said.
“Marketing efforts, while appreciated, cannot solve fundamental issues we are facing… Our high production costs create a domino effect. We need a strategy built on production, production, production – not importation of agricultural products,” she said.
Marcos also urged the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to prioritize the fight against Panama disease and other threats to the industry instead of focusing too heavily on import permits.
She said it should engage in bigger investments in research and development to improve yields, and technology and innovation to reduce farming costs and production to sustain the industry’s global standing.
“We used to be export champions in bananas and coconuts. Now we are losing ground to competitors like Vietnam. This should be a wakeup call for the government to rethink its agricultural strategy and its ability to protect key export products. We need more FTAs (foreign trade agreements) that champion agriculture,” she added.
The senator stressed the need for swift government intervention, noting that Cavendish bananas — the country’s primary export variety and which account for half of the total banana production — generate 329,648 jobs nationwide and provide P42 billion in annual wages.
“These are not just numbers. These are families relying on banana farms to survive. Many of them are smallholder farmers already living on the edge. Let us work together on a concerted, strategic plan to secure the future of this sector and restore the Philippines’ position as a leading banana exporter,” she said.
