Prolonged Mideast war could dampen banana, pineapple exports

By Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel, Reporter

DESPITE a strong year-to-date growth in Philippine banana and pineapple exports, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said a prolonged Middle East war threatens to disrupt the country’s outbound shipments.

“I think there would be a [negative] effect on our exports, considering the situation. Hopefully, the effects won’t last long,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. told BusinessWorld in a WhatsApp message.

Trade disruptions due to the fighting in the Persian Gulf risk affecting gains achieved in the two sectors.

According to 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 same 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 same period last year.

Bananas and pineapples rank as the ninth and 10^th largest export commodities, respectively, and the second and third most valuable in the agriculture sector after coconut oil.

The concern is heightened as Iran and other Middle Eastern countries are key markets for Philippine fruit shipments.

In 2025, Iran was the largest buyer of Philippine bananas in the Middle East, importing $97.53 million worth of the region’s nearly $200 million in shipments.

Other major markets for bananas in 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 more than 11% of the Philippines’ total fresh banana exports in 2025.

For fresh pineapples, the United Arab Emirates was the top 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 almost 6% of the country’s total pineapple exports in 2025.

Mr. Laurel said the DA is monitoring the situation closely and will assist the private sector in the event of a prolonged shipping disruption.

“If there are market disruptions, the private sector will surely try to find other channels to sell their goods, and we will 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 main factor that could affect banana exports is freight costs. Because Japan is relatively close, we may 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 due to shorter shipping distances and lower freight costs.

Japan is the country’s biggest market for fresh bananas, with exports valued at $920.49 million in 2025. It is also the Philippines’ second-biggest market for fresh pineapple in East Asia, with shipments at $174 million.