It is reported that the export volume of bananas from the Philippines in 2020 was 3.595 million tons, showing a year-on-year decrease of 18.3% from 4.403 million tons in 2019.
Stephen A. Antig, Executive President of the Philipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association (PBGEA), said that the two major factors contributing to this decline are the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of TR4.
Covid restrictions not only caused logistics problems but also prevented growers from properly taking care of the plantations and dealing with the spread of TR4 in the Philippines. As a result, the banana production in the country also dropped to 9.056 million tons in 2020, showing a year-on-year decrease of 1.1%.
