Better climate boosts output of industrial crops

The continued favourable climatic condition in the country has improved the production of some of the country’s top industrial crops during the third quarter of 2017, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Among the country’s top industrial crops are coconut, abaca, coffee, rubber, sugarcane and tobacco.

In its latest major non-food and industrial crops bulletin, the PSA said sugarcane production surged more than 60 percent to 783,000 metric tons (MT).

Production of sugarcane for centrifugal sugar, which accounted for more than 80 percent of the total sugarcane production, surged 85 percent.

The better output was also attributed to higher yield due to favorable weather and increase in area harvested during the quarter.

Western Visayas remains the top sugar producing region in the country, accounting fort 54 percent of the national sugarcane output during the period.

Coconut production increased 3.3 percent to 3.81 million MT due to the increase in harvesting activities coupled with higher prices, and the recovery from the dry spell.

Rubber production also grew 15 percent to 105,690 MT.

Production of tobacco of all varieties slightly went up 1.4 percent to 1,140 MT due to more area harvested, sufficient rainfall, high price of native variety and the contract growing of Virginia variety with Philip Morris Inc.

Northern Mindanao, the top tobacco producing region during the quarter, made up 97 percent of the aggregate.

Production of abaca fiber likewise declined 2.8 percent to 17,890 MT owing to limited stripping activities and bunchy top infestation and disease.

Bicol region was the top abaca producer, accounting for 36 percent of the country’s total production. Eastern Visayas followed next with 18 percent, and Caraga with 14 percent.

Coffee production also dropped 10 percent to 5,760 MT due to cutting of old and less productive trees, and heavy rains during flowering and fruit development stage in some areas.

Of the total, 65.2 percent were Robusta, 27.1 percent were Arabica, 6.9 percent were Excelsa, and 0.9 percent were Liberica.

Davao was the country’s top-producing region during the period.