DAVAO Region's exports increased by 11.4 percent to $2.27 billion in 2014 from $1.99 billion the previous year, based on data gathered from the regional office of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Data from PSA-Davap also showed that the volume of exports also increased by 84.8 percent to 9.21 million metric tonnes (MT) in 2014 from 4.98 million MT in 2013.
The top ten exported products of the region have continued to be dominated by agricultural commodities.
The most exported commodity remains to be fresh or dried bananas, including plantains, with total value of $1.05 billion, which is a 20.2 percent increase from $877.05 million in 2013. The volume of banana exported also increased by 147 percent to 7.64 million MT from 3.09 million MT.
The top export market for banana is Japan with $378.08 million, followed by China ($237.13 million), South Korea ($115.37 million), New Zealand ($77.94 million), and Iran ($51.8 million).
Fractions of coconut (copra) and palm kernel placed second at $388.06 million. Top destinations include Netherlands ($163.42 million), United States of America (USA) ($137.74 million), Malaysia ($25.19 million), Indonesia ($16.81 million), and Italy ($11.1 million).
Fresh or dried coconuts, brazil nuts, and cashew nuts rounded the top three most exported commodities of the region at $112.71 million. Main export destinations include the US ($19.94 million), Netherlands ($12.32 million), China ($11.64 million), Singapore ($10.19 million), and United Kingdom (UK) ($8.1 million).
Fresh or dried dates, figs, pineapples, avocados, guavas, mangoes, and mangosteens came in fourth at $109.64 million. The number one export market is Japan at $38.61 million, followed by South Korea ($18.58 million), United Arab Emirates (UAE) ($12.91 million), Singapore ($11.56 million), and China ($11.47 million).
Rounding up the top five are prepared or preserved fruits, nuts, and edible parts of plants at $79.89 million. Top export destinations for the commodity include China ($15.69 million), USA ($10.64 million), Germany ($6.62 million), Singapore ($6.1 million), and Japan ($5.39 million).
Also part of the top ten export commodities in the region are: activated carbon and natural mineral products, and animal black ($58.52 million); natural rubber ($56.11 million); soya bean oil and its fractions ($37.22 million); food preparations ($29.06 million); and oil cake and other solid residues resulting from the extraction of vegetable fats or oils ($28.84 million).
Japan continues to be a major export market for Davao Region's commodities at $476.8 million, followed by China ($346.81 million), USA ($244.19 million), Netherlands ($201.89 million), South Korea ($167.37 million), Singapore ($101.03 million), Malaysia ($86.46 million), New Zealand ($83.28 million), Hong Kong ($66.12 million), and UAE ($55.76 million).