VOLUME OF PRODUCTION BY COMMODITY GROUP

Other Crops total production in the 1^st Quarter 2023 in SOCCSKSARGEN Region increased by 2.06% compared to the same period in 2022.  Non-Food and Industrial Commercial Crops (NFICCs) increased by 34,453.2 MT (4.5%), Vegetables and Root Crops (VRC) increased by 839 MT or 1.5%, and Fruit Crops decreased 8,235.3 MT (1.7%) on the same reference period. (Table 1)

TOP FIVE (5) CROPS IN TERMS OF VOLUME OF PRODUCTION

Among the region’s top 5 Other Crops, Banana is the only Crop recorded as decreases in production during the period under review. Banana production dropped by (3.0%) or roughly 7,687.8 MT less than the previous year's production. Sugarcane recorded as increased of 5.7% representing a drop of 21,880.7 MT rise from the previous year’s production. Coconut (with husk) also increased of 3.8% reaching 0.318 MT from 0.307 million MT of the previous year. Pineapple production went up slightly by 0.2% from 0.213 million MT in the first three months of 2022 to 0.214 million MT in the first quarter of 2023. Oil Palm likewise recorded an increase of 8.8%, with production rising from 0,044 million MT the previous year to 0.047 million MT during the period under review in 2023. (Table 2)

Among the top 5 crops, Sugarcane contributed 0.402 million MT, accounting for 30.0% of the total production of Other Crops in the first quarter of 2023. Coconut (w/ husk) shared 0.318 million MT (23.7%); Banana, 0.252 million MT (18.7%); Pineapple, 0.214 million MT (15.9%); while Oil Palm (fresh fruit bunch) contributed 0.047 million MT (3.6%) to the overall production of Other Crops in the region (Figure 2).

OTHER CROPS VOLUME OF PRODUCTION BY PROVINCE

Among its four (4) provinces, Cotabato had the highest Other Crops production at 0.507 million MT accounting for 37.8% of the region’s 1.34 million MT, Other Crops production in the first Quarter of 2023. South Cotabato was next to the Cotabato at 0.413 million MT sharing 30.2%; Sarangani had 0.240 million MT (17.9%); and Sultan Kudarat (13.5%) with 0.181 million MT. (Figure 3)

At (3.0%), only Saranganirecorded as decreased in the production of Other Crops during the period under review. The rest of the provinces recorded as increased. (Table 3)