THE PHILIPPINE Statistics Authority (PSA) XI revealed that the cavendish and other bananas, except plantains, continued to be Davao Region’s top exported commodity in 2023 with a total earning of 1.19 billion USD.
In a press forum, Maria Leah Magracia, PSA XI Statistical Operations and Coordination Division officer-in-charge, said bananas accounted for 48.18% of the total exports in the region.
“This is followed by the coconut (copra) oil and its fractions with an export value of 263.95 million USD at 10.85%, and gold unwrought or in semi-manufactured forms, which amounted to 191.79 million USD,” Magracia said.
Meanwhile, the top imported goods were petroleum oils with an import value of 615.86 million USD or a share of 18.15% of the total imports in 2023.
This was followed by the semi-finished products of iron and non-alloy steel valued at 183.33 million USD at 5.4%, then the semi-milled or wholly milled rice valued at 179.2 million USD.
“PSA records foreign trade statistics which involve commodities or traded goods entering or leaving any seaports and airports of entry in the Philippines that are properly cleared by the customs,” Magracia added.
She noted that in 2023, Davao Region’s total external trade in goods amounted to 5.82 billion USD, with total export sales amounting to 2.43 billion USD, and total import sales amounting to 3.39 billion USD.
File Photo: Bing Gonzales
