Imee urges government to prioritize banana industry amid export decline

Senator Imee Marcos has called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) and other government agencies to prioritize banana production and research, citing a sharp decline in Philippine banana exports to key markets such as Japan and China.

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Marcos said the sector is facing a multilayered crisis that cannot be resolved through marketing alone. She identified high production costs, the spread of Panama disease, and unfavorable trade agreements as major challenges affecting the industry.

She also urged the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to focus more on combating plant diseases rather than allocating resources to rice import permits.