About PBGEA

PBGEA – which stands for the Pilipino Banana Growers and Exporters Association – is composed of 18 companies , including their respective subsidiary firms and their member growers or farmers.

The Banana Industry

The Philippine banana export industry is the 3rd biggest in the world and the only Asian country among the top 5.

All About Bananas

The banana plant is NOT a tree. It is an herb – the largest herb plant in the world.

FAQ

How big is the Philippine banana industry?The banana industry is the 5th largest export industry in the country.

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A world without bananas

The banana industry worldwide

By 2010, banana exports worldwide are projected to reach 15 million tonnes! Now that is a lot of bananas – about 28% more than the total exports in the period 1998-2000, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development based on data from the UN-Food and Agriculture Organization. Of this 15 million tonnes of bananas shipped out, about 14.3 million will reach the market discounting for the fruits that are damaged during the transportation process. ( Click here for more on the UNCTAD report)

  • Most of those bananas, which is the Cavendish variety, will be coming from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, which together supplied approximately 70% of the banana exports in 2006. Ecuador, Costa Rica, Colombia and Guatemala are the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th biggest exporters, respectively, while the PHILIPPINES ranked 3rd. Ecuador accounted for 29% of total global exports; Costa Rica, 13%; Philippines, 12%; Colombia 10%m Guatemala, 7%.

 

  • Ecuador, the world’s leading banana exporter with 3.9 million tonnes of export in 1998-2000, and the PHILIPPINES with 1.4 million tonnes during the same period, are seen to have the highest export growth, mainly due to their common advantage of having low production costs and a well-established markets for their produce.

 

  • The top destinations of the projected banana exports, meanwhile, are: The United States of America (USA), Canada, Japan and the member countries of the European Union (EU). In the period 2002-2006, the total banana imports went to EU at 39%; USA, 26%; Japan, 7%; Russia, 5%; Canada, 3; China, 3; and the rest of the world, 17%.

 

  • Banana production is a labor intensive process. Given the nature of the fresh product, many of the processes cannot be automated. Bananas need the “human touch”. In an efficient banana production process, an average of two (2) people are employed and directly involved in the planting, growing and harvesting of the fruit. In the overall exporting process — which includes people involved in the production of packing materials, transportation, stevedoring, and distribution – a total of about eight (8) people per hectare are engaged by the banana industry. The income arising from these employment and business opportunities translates to disposable income that prompts economic activity, particularly in the banana-growing areas and communities.

 

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