By Francis Allan L. Angelo
Sugarcane production in Western Visayas fell sharply in 2024 despite remaining the region’s top agricultural crop by volume, while fruit and vegetable outputs such as eggplant, mango and pineapple saw notable gains, according to a March 25 special report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Sugarcane output dropped by 14.5 percent to 11.28 million metric tons from 13.19 million metric tons in 2023, based on the PSA’s Crops Production Survey.
Negros Occidental, which contributed 89.2 percent of regional sugarcane production, led the output decline.
In contrast, eggplant production posted the highest year-on-year growth among the region’s major crops, surging 15.3 percent to 18,566 metric tons, with Iloilo responsible for 72.0 percent of that yield.
Mango production also increased by 4.9 percent, totaling 66,804 metric tons. Iloilo accounted for the largest share at 45.4 percent, followed by Guimaras at 30.9 percent and Negros Occidental at 19.2 percent.
The PSA report also showed that watermelon rose by 3.3 percent to 53,469 metric tons, while pineapple edged up by 1.5 percent to 19,881 metric tons, led by Iloilo’s 72.4 percent share.
Despite these gains, several key crops posted losses.
Coconut production declined by 0.6 percent to 576,510 metric tons, with Antique slightly edging out Negros Occidental as the top producer.
Banana output slipped by 0.9 percent to 307,195 metric tons, still led by Iloilo at 47.2 percent.
Cassava dropped 1.8 percent to 51,189 metric tons, with Negros Occidental contributing more than half at 53.8 percent.
Camote, or sweet potato, declined 5.3 percent to 44,307 metric tons, with 41.4 percent of output from Negros Occidental.
Tomato production fell 5.9 percent to 12,178 metric tons, though Iloilo retained dominance with a 90.2 percent share.
The PSA also reported changes across non-food and industrial crops.
Abaca output stood at 2,159 metric tons, with Aklan accounting for 86.2 percent.
Coffee totaled 1,580 metric tons, largely from Iloilo (55.7 percent) and Negros Occidental (21.9 percent).
Tobacco output reached 234 metric tons, with Iloilo supplying a dominant 94.2 percent.
Cacao totaled 204 metric tons, of which 66.7 percent came from Iloilo.
For calamansi, Guimaras led with 42.2 percent of the region’s 4,096 metric tons, narrowly ahead of Iloilo’s 40.1 percent.
Other vegetables showed mixed results.
Cabbage totaled 529 metric tons, led by Iloilo at 59.2 percent.
Onion reached 977 metric tons, almost entirely from Iloilo (97.4 percent).
Ampalaya production hit 3,271 metric tons, with Guimaras (24.1 percent), Iloilo (22.4 percent), and Antique (19.3 percent) as leading contributors.
For monggo, Antique topped production with 43.6 percent, followed by Iloilo with 39.2 percent.
The PSA’s Region VI office said the latest figures serve as critical input for policy and development programs in agriculture.
However, the report did not explore reasons behind the production trends, including the sugarcane slump or the uptick in fruit and vegetable yields.
Agricultural experts have previously linked production changes to factors such as climate variability, input costs, pest outbreaks, and shifting land use.
The PSA emphasized that data used in the report were preliminary and based on the 2024 Crops Production Survey conducted across all provinces in Western Visayas.
