The Philippines likely slipped to fourth place from third in terms of global banana exports in 2024, according to a preliminary market review released by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In a January 10 report, the organization said the Philippines shipped an estimated 2.28 million tons of bananas, down 3 percent, making the country the fourth largest supplier of the fruit in the world.
The Philippines was the third largest exporter of bananas last year, shipping 2.35 million tons.
It expects banana exports for 2024 to corner 11.9 percent of an estimated 19.1 million tons of total global shipments last year.
The FAO report cited Ecuador, Guatemala and Colombia as the biggest banana exporters in 2024.
Ecuador is estimated to have shipped 5.76 million tons last year, a 30 percent market share, while Guatemala exported 2.59 million tons or 13.5 percent of the global supply, and Colombia sold 2.31 million tons or 12 percent of the total banana shipments worldwide.
Citing a statement by the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association’s (PBGEA), FAO said only 51,000 hectares of the 89,000 hectares of land available for banana cultivation in Mindanao remained in operation, with around 38,000 hectares plagued by <i>Fusarium Tropical race 4<i/> or TR4, a fungal infection that attacks the soil.
The disease, more commonly known as Panama disease or Panama TR4, comes from the soil-borne fungus <i>Fusarium oxysporum<i/> that enters the banana plant’s roots and colonizes the <i>xylem,i/> vessels, blocking the flow of water and nutrients and causing the plant to wilt and eventually die.
The Philippine association also cited the rising geopolitical tensions in the West Philippine Sea, as a big factor that affects the country’s banana exports.
Danilo Fausto, president of the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc., said in a separate message yesterday he agrees with estimates that the country’s banana shipments may be lower in 2024 compared to a year earlier.
Apart from TR4, Fausto said production could have been affected by severe weather such as heavy rains, flooding, drought and hurricanes on top of high input costs and logistical issues.
“Government should provide funding for research and development to find solutions to diseases, both for livestock and crops, intensifying their efforts to protect our food productivity and availability preferably from local sources,” Fausto added.
