By Claro A. Lanipa
PAGADIAN CITY – Based on the quarterly bulletin of the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Zamboanga Peninsula region topped all
other regions in the country in terms of calamansi and mango production in the
last quarter of 2014.
PSA report reveals that Zamboanga Peninsula was the top
producer of calamansi during the period, accounting for 14.2 percent of the
total national output.
Though, in the fourth quarter of 2014, calamansi
production at 26.53 thousand metric ton dropped by 13.8 percent as compared to
the 2013 production of 30.77 thousand metric ton.
The decrease in production was attributed to the
cutting of senile trees and early harvesting in third quarter in MIMAROPA and the
trees had not fully recovered from the devastation of the recent typhoons in
Eastern Visayas, Bicol, Ilocos, CALABARZON and Western Visayas, the report
disclosed.
Meanwhile, mango production during the same period was
estimated at 34.36 thousand metric tons or 5.7 percent below the 2013 output
level of 36.42 thousand metric tons. The decrease in production was caused by
the off season production observed in most of the provinces in Autonomous
Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) while some trees were toppled down by
typhoons “Luis” and “Mario” in the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR) and
lesser production due to frequent rains in Northern Mindanao, the report said.
Zamboanga Peninsula shared the highest production at
33.8 percent to the total mango produced during the reference period while
CARAGA and Northern Mindanao followed with 15.5 and 12.5 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, banana, which is one of the major
fruit crops in the country was estimated at 2,256.59 thousand metric tons or
3.3 percent higher than the 2,185.16 metric ton in 2013 with Davao region
recorded the highest production at 868.75 metric tons or 38.5 percent share to
the total banana output of the country.
