According to a report by the Philippine Star on July 29th, statistics from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations show that although the export volume of Philippine bananas in 2023 is expected to grow by 3.4% year-on-year (mainly due to a 60% and 12% increase in exports to Iran and Saudi Arabia, respectively), reaching 2.3 million tons, its position as the world's second-largest banana exporter for six years is now surpassed by Guatemala (2.6 million tons, up 17.5% year-on-year). FAO stated that over the past decade, Philippine banana production has been frequently affected by various unfavorable factors such as tropical wilt disease (TR4), floods, and political instability. However, the Philippines still remains the largest banana exporter in Asia, accounting for more than half of the 4.1 million tons of banana exports in the region in 2023.
