Manila, Feb. 3 -- Government investments have helped boost the local banana industry as the Philippines returned as the second-largest global banana exporter, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Tuesday.

Based on the recent United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report, the Philippines ranks just behind Ecuador in banana exports, and is the top exporter in Asia, as the country's banana exports jumped by 25.6 percent to 2.93 million metric tons (MMT) in 2025.

In 2024, the Philippines was ranked the third-largest supplier of banana in the world.

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the progress is a vote of confidence in the Marcos administration's agricultural strategy and a springboard for m...