Mango tops Western Visayas fruit output, but farmgate prices fall

ILOILO CITY — Mango remained the top fruit crop in Western Visayas in the second quarter of 2026, with production reaching 49,238 metric tons, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

The output was 0.7 percent higher than the 48,910 metric tons harvested in the same quarter of 2025, according to a special release issued Oct. 1 by the PSA Regional Statistical Services Office VI.

A slightly bigger harvest did not mean better pay for growers. The average farmgate price of carabao mango, the region’s signature variety, fell 15.5 percent from a year earlier, while piko and Indian mango prices dropped even more steeply.

That matters most to farmers in Iloilo and Guimaras, which together produced 88.8 percent of the region’s mango output during the quarter and now receive less per kilogram for a harvest that barely grew.

The opposite happened with watermelon and most banana varieties, whose farmgate prices surged as production declined, a shift that could raise what consumers pay in public markets if the increases pass down the supply chain.

Taken together, the six top fruit crops produced 107,218 metric tons in the second quarter, down 2.7 percent from 110,177 metric tons a year earlier, based on PSA figures.

Ripe jackfruit posted the fastest production growth among crops that expanded, rising 4.6 percent to 1,079 metric tons from 1,032 metric tons.

Pineapple production increased 3.8 percent to 5,601 metric tons from 5,396 metric tons.

Watermelon recorded the steepest decline, falling 11.6 percent to 10,512 metric tons from 11,898 metric tons.

Banana production dropped 5.3 percent to 38,406 metric tons from 40,548 metric tons.

Melon output slipped 0.5 percent to 2,382 metric tons from 2,393 metric tons.

Mango output fourth-highest since 2010

The second-quarter mango harvest of 49.24 thousand metric tons was the fourth-highest for the period since 2010, PSA data showed.

Only 2023, with 55.10 thousand metric tons, 2022, with 51.63 thousand metric tons, and 2021, with 49.92 thousand metric tons, recorded larger second-quarter harvests.

Output dropped to 45.02 thousand metric tons in 2024 before recovering to 48.91 thousand metric tons in 2025.

Earlier second-quarter figures were 37.78 thousand metric tons in 2010, 34.01 in 2011, 34.45 in 2012, 35.87 in 2013, 34.66 in 2014, 41.52 in 2015, 40.13 in 2016, 39.74 in 2017, 40.69 in 2018, 45.37 in 2019, and 42.92 in 2020.

Iloilo leads provincial production

Iloilo province accounted for the largest share of every top fruit crop in the region, which now covers Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo following the 2024 creation of the Negros Island Region.

Iloilo produced 96.5 percent of the region’s melon output, followed by Capiz at 3.2 percent, Aklan at 0.2 percent, Guimaras at 0.1 percent, and Antique at 0.05 percent.

The province contributed 95.8 percent of the 5,601 metric tons of pineapple, with Aklan at 1.6 percent, Capiz at 1.0 percent, Antique at 0.9 percent, and Guimaras at 0.7 percent.

Iloilo also accounted for 79.7 percent of the 10,512 metric tons of watermelon, followed by Aklan at 9.6 percent, Antique at 7.1 percent, Capiz at 2.4 percent, and Guimaras at 1.2 percent.

Banana production was more widely spread, with Iloilo producing 57.9 percent of the 38,406 metric tons, Antique 19.5 percent, Aklan 12.2 percent, Capiz 9.0 percent, and Guimaras 1.4 percent.

For mango, Iloilo held 52.4 percent of the 49,238-metric-ton regional harvest, while the island province of Guimaras supplied 36.4 percent, Aklan 9.2 percent, Antique 1.8 percent, and Capiz 0.2 percent.

Iloilo produced 49.5 percent of the 1,079 metric tons of ripe jackfruit, with Guimaras contributing 21.0 percent, Aklan 17.9 percent, Antique 9.0 percent, and Capiz 2.6 percent.

Most farmgate prices rise

Most top fruit crops in Western Visayas recorded year-on-year increases in average farmgate prices during the quarter, the PSA said.

Watermelon posted the biggest increase, with its farmgate price nearly doubling, up 88.7 percent from PHP 18.84 to PHP 35.55 per kilogram.

Among mangoes, only the “other variety” category gained, rising 49.3 percent from PHP 45.47 to PHP 67.91 per kilogram.

Lakatan banana prices climbed 52.5 percent from PHP 25.90 to PHP 39.50 per kilogram.

Bungulan banana rose 40.0 percent from PHP 17.07 to PHP 23.90 per kilogram, while Cavendish banana increased 31.2 percent from PHP 24.61 to PHP 32.30.

Saba banana went up 13.1 percent from PHP 15.79 to PHP 17.85 per kilogram, while Latundan banana edged up 0.5 percent from PHP 20.87 to PHP 20.97.

Muskmelon prices increased 8.9 percent from PHP 36.67 to PHP 39.94 per kilogram.

Ripe jackfruit rose 15.5 percent from PHP 32.83 to PHP 37.92 per kilogram.

Native pineapple, mango prices drop

Native pineapple recorded the largest price decline, falling 46.6 percent from PHP 48.33 to PHP 25.81 per kilogram.

Piko mango dropped 37.6 percent from PHP 80.32 to PHP 50.09 per kilogram.

Indian mango fell 27.2 percent from PHP 18.61 to PHP 13.56 per kilogram.

Carabao mango declined 15.5 percent from PHP 86.39 to PHP 73.01 per kilogram, a loss of PHP 13.38 for every kilogram sold at the farm.

Honeydew melon fell 36.0 percent from PHP 51.67 to PHP 33.07 per kilogram.

Hawaiian pineapple slipped 4.8 percent from PHP 27.22 to PHP 25.91 per kilogram, while other banana varieties dipped 4.7 percent from PHP 20.35 to PHP 19.40.

Golden melon registered an average farmgate price of PHP 21.00 per kilogram, with no comparable data available for 2025.

The PSA defines farmgate price as the price farmers receive for their crops at the farm. The quarterly figure is the simple average of monthly farm prices from April to June 2026.