Iloilo Tops Regional Fruit, Vegetable Production

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).