Western Visayas sugarcane output drops 27.1% in second quarter

ILOILO CITY — Western Visayas produced 426,268 metric tons of sugarcane in the second quarter of 2026, down 27.1% from a year earlier, while farmgate prices fell for several major crops.

The smaller cane harvest means less locally produced raw material for processors, while lower farmgate prices can put pressure on farmers’ earnings. Iloilo accounted for 97.7% of regional sugarcane output, concentrating the production decline’s potential impact on the province.

The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) did not identify the reasons for the decline or measure changes in farm income, production costs, or retail prices.

The preliminary April–June figures appear in Special Release No. 2026-SR37, issued Oct. 1 by the PSA’s Regional Statistical Services Office VI and signed by regional director Nelida C. Amolar.

Sugarcane output fell from 584,724 metric tons in the second quarter of 2025, a reduction of 158,456 metric tons. Tobacco production also declined, dropping a reported 1.2% to 228 metric tons from 231 metric tons.

Four other crops recorded production increases ranging from 1.2% to 40.6%.

Abaca posted the fastest reported growth at 40.6%, with output rising to 608 metric tons from 432 metric tons.

Coconut production increased 4.1% to 112,070 metric tons from 107,660 metric tons.

Cashew output grew 1.2% to 502 metric tons from 496 metric tons, while cacao production rose a reported 17.6% to 69 metric tons from 59 metric tons.

Iloilo led regional production of sugarcane, tobacco, and cacao. Its dominance in these crops contrasted with coconut production, which was distributed more widely among the five provinces covered by the report.

For sugarcane, Capiz supplied 1.8% of regional output and Antique contributed 0.5%, alongside Iloilo’s 97.7% share.

Iloilo accounted for 96.9% of tobacco production, with Antique contributing the remaining 3.1%.

In cacao, Iloilo supplied 68.0%, followed by Capiz at 11.6%, Guimaras at 10.0%, Aklan at 6.2%, and Antique at 4.2%.

Capiz led coconut production with 35.1%, followed by Antique at 29.1%, Iloilo at 20.1%, Guimaras at 9.7%, and Aklan at 6.0%.

Aklan produced 92.5% of the region’s abaca. The accompanying PSA infographic assigned 5.2% to Capiz, 2.2% to Iloilo, and 0.1% to Antique, although the release’s provincial chart placed Iloilo’s share at 2.1%.

Guimaras supplied 99.5% of cashew output. The infographic put Antique’s share at 0.3%, Iloilo’s at 0.1%, and Aklan’s at 0.05%.

The release’s provincial chart instead listed Antique’s cashew share at 5.2%, which would push the combined shares above 100%. The conflicting provincial figures require clarification from the PSA.

Farmgate prices declined for six of the nine commodities with comparable year-earlier figures, while three recorded increases. Two other commodities had no available 2025 comparison.

Dry cacao beans posted the largest price decline, falling 23.8% to PHP 185.20 per kilogram from PHP 243.14.

Centrifugal sugar averaged PHP 46.90 per kilogram, down 11.3% from PHP 52.87. This price refers to the sugar commodity listed under sugarcane, rather than a kilogram of harvested cane.

Young coconuts averaged PHP 13.36 per kilogram, down 3.6% from PHP 13.85, while mature coconuts fell 6.0% to PHP 10.69 from PHP 11.37.

Abaca prices declined 8.1% to PHP 50.02 per kilogram from PHP 54.42. Shelled cashew nuts fell 13.3% to PHP 433.33 from PHP 500.00.

The price declines for coconut, abaca, and cacao accompanied larger harvests, showing why increased production alone does not establish that farmers earned more.

Among commodities with price increases, dry native tobacco rose 58.5% to PHP 649.67 per kilogram from PHP 410.00, despite the decline in tobacco output.

Muscovado sugar increased 44.3% to PHP 59.13 per kilogram from PHP 40.99.

Cashew nuts with shells but without the apple rose 13.3% to PHP 56.67 per kilogram from PHP 50.00.

Sugarcane for chewing averaged PHP 3.00 per kilogram, while ripe cashew fruit with the nut averaged PHP 40.00. Neither had an available 2025 price for comparison.

The PSA described the second-quarter sugarcane harvest as the second-lowest for that quarter since 2010. Its historical chart rounded the 2026 volume to 426,000 metric tons, compared with 585,000 in 2025 and 33,000 in 2024.

The earlier second-quarter volumes, converted from the chart’s units of hundred thousand metric tons, were approximately 559,000 in 2010, 3,378,000 in 2011, and 1,840,000 in 2012.

The chart recorded approximately 1,302,000 metric tons in 2013, 1,566,000 in 2014, 1,230,000 in 2015, and 1,925,000 in 2016.

Production reached approximately 4,231,000 metric tons in 2017, followed by 3,195,000 in 2018 and 1,435,000 in 2019.

The subsequent volumes were approximately 2,818,000 metric tons in 2020, 3,241,000 in 2021, 1,252,000 in 2022, and 1,337,000 in 2023.

The current provincial breakdown covers Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Guimaras, and Iloilo.

The PSA drew the production estimates from its Crops Production Survey, with the release using data available through OpenSTAT. Production measures the quantity actually harvested during the reference period.

Farmgate prices are the amounts farmers receive for their crops at the farm. The quarterly prices are the arithmetic averages of the monthly figures for April, May, and June 2026.

The 2026 figures remain preliminary.