By Mariela Angella Oladive
Iloilo emerged as Western Visayas’ top producer of major fruits and vegetables during the third quarter of 2024, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority Region VI (PSA-6) Other Crops Production Survey.
The province dominated mango production, contributing 2,269 metric tons or 77.9% of the regional total. Negros Occidental followed with 10.6%, while Aklan accounted for 5.6%.
For pineapple, Iloilo produced 67.2% of the region’s 4,851 metric tons. The province also led in calamansi production, providing 53.9% of the 915 metric tons recorded.
In banana production, Iloilo ranked second to Negros Occidental, contributing 27.3% of the region’s total output of 56,757 metric tons.
The province also excelled in vegetable and root crop production. Iloilo accounted for 70.2% of the region’s 4,267 metric tons of eggplant and 74.1% of the 460 metric tons of tomato.
Iloilo led ampalaya production with a 30.6% share of the regional total of 723 metric tons. It also contributed 10.7% of the region’s 8,413 metric tons of sweet potato (camote) and 26.6% of the 82 metric tons of mungbean (monggo).
Production refers to the quantity produced and harvested for a particular crop during the reference period.
PSA-6 categorized major crops into three groups: non-food and industrial crops (e.g., abaca, coconut, sugarcane), fruit crops (e.g., banana, calamansi, mango, pineapple), and vegetable and root crops (e.g., eggplant, tomato, sweet potato, cassava).
