By Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel, Reporter
DESPITE a robust year-to-date growth in Philippine banana and pineapple exports, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said a chronic Middle East war threatens to disrupt the country’s outbound shipments.
“I believe there could be a [negative] effect on our exports, considering the situation. Hopefully, the results won’t last long,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. told BusinessWorld in a WhatsApp message.
Trade disruptions resulting from the fighting within the Persian Gulf risk affecting gains achieved within the two sectors.
Based on preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, although fresh banana shipments slipped by 5.1% in February, year-to-date exports grew by 7.6% to $244.68 million from $227.31 million in the identical two-month period in 2025.
Pineapple exports and related products also surged 45.5% to $188.05 million as of February from $129.21 million in the identical period last yr.
Bananas and pineapples rank because the ninth and 10th largest export commodities, respectively, and the second and third most dear within the agriculture sector after coconut oil.
The priority is heightened as Iran and other Middle Eastern countries are key markets for Philippine fruit shipments.
In 2025, Iran was the biggest buyer of Philippine bananas within the Middle East, importing $97.53 million value of the region’s nearly $200 million in shipments.
Other major markets for bananas within the Middle East include Saudi Arabia ($62.71 million), the United Arab Emirates ($13.12 million), Iraq ($6.19 million), Qatar ($5.12 million), and Bahrain ($3.78 million).
Together, the region accounted for greater than 11% of the Philippines’ total fresh banana exports in 2025.
For fresh pineapples, the United Arab Emirates was the highest Middle Eastern market, importing $15.83 million, followed by Iran with $11.94 million and Saudi Arabia with $2.62 million. The region accounted for nearly 6% of the country’s total pineapple exports in 2025.
Mr. Laurel said the DA is monitoring the situation closely and can assist the private sector within the event of a chronic shipping disruption.
“If there are market disruptions, the private sector will certainly try to seek out other channels to sell their goods, and we can be assisting them. [We’ll constantly try] to look and assist in all possible ways,” he said.
Mr. Laurel earlier told reporters that the country’s banana sector can leverage their geographic proximity advantage over South American suppliers to redirect shipments to traditional East Asian markets like Japan.
“The most important factor that would affect banana exports is freight costs. Because Japan is comparatively close, we could have a slight advantage over South American suppliers,” he said on the sidelines of a Senate hearing last week.
Mr. Laurel said that, despite lower tariffs for South American suppliers, the Philippines maintains a competitive edge in banana exports resulting from shorter shipping distances and lower freight costs.
Japan is the country’s biggest marketplace for fresh bananas, with exports valued at $920.49 million in 2025. It’s also the Philippines’ second-biggest marketplace for fresh pineapple in East Asia, with shipments at $174 million.