Senator Imee Marcos on Wednesday called on government agencies to prioritize banana production and research, warning that the Philippines risks losing significant market share in key export destinations like Japan and China.

In a statement, Marcos said that the banana industry is battling a multi-faceted crisis that marketing alone cannot solve, pointing to high production costs, the persistent threat of Panama disease, and unfavorable trade agreements as the main factors eroding competitiveness.

“Marketing efforts, while appreciated, cannot solve the fundamental issues we are facing,” Marcos said. “Our high production costs create a domino effect. We need a strategy built on ‘production, production, production’– not importation of agricultural products.”

She noted that the banana industry remains a vital economic pillar, sustaining hundreds of thousands of livelihoods.

Marcos urged the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) to prioritize combating Panama disease and other threats, as she called for bigger investments in research and development to improve yields, technology, and innovation to reduce farming costs, and production support to sustain the industry’s global standing.

She cited the Cavendish bananas — the country’s primary export variety, accounting for half of total banana production — generate 329,648 jobs nationwide and provide PHP42.3 billion in annual wages.

“These are not just numbers. These are families relying on banana farms to survive. Many of them are smallholder farmers already living on the edge,” she said. (PNA)