In response to the declining banana production in Mindanao, the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA) is initiating efforts to propose legislation aimed at rejuvenating the Philippine banana sector. Stephen Antig, the executive director of PBGEA, disclosed the association's plan to draft a bill focused on the revitalization of the industry during the Business Matters Forum. Antig emphasized the necessity for the banana industry in Mindanao to access advanced facilities, highlighting the bill's objective to establish a premier research facility to benefit not only the Cavendish banana segment but the broader agricultural landscape, including emerging crops such as avocado and durian.
Antig also pointed out the challenges posed by climate change, pests, and diseases, alongside the constraints on plantation areas due to current land reform policies. The limitation of five hectares per plantation is deemed inadequate for banana cultivation, with efforts underway to lobby for amendments to the Agrarian Reform Law. Despite the original allocation of 89,000 hectares for banana agriculture, only 15,000 hectares are currently in use. The decline in banana production in Mindanao threatens the livelihood of approximately 700,000 workers reliant on this industry. However, there has been a noted improvement in production and exportation to traditional markets over the past seven months, despite facing competition in China from suppliers in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Ecuador due to volume constraints.
Source: SunStar