CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY — Robust agricultural yields across Bukidnon propelled Northern Mindanao’s total crop harvest past 11 million metric tons in 2025, marking a 17 percent year-on-year growth for the region.
Data from the Department of Agriculture-Region 10 and the Philippine Statistics Authority show the regional output surged from 9.44 million metric tons in 2024 to 11.05 million metric tons, driven largely by Bukidnon’s dominant output in sugarcane, pineapples, rice, and corn.
Industrial and cash crops drove most of the volume. Sugarcane production jumped 54 percent to 4.73 million metric tons, while coconut output reached 1.83 million metric tons. Pineapple harvests, centered largely in Bukidnon, rose steadily to 1.7 million metric tons.
Staple crops showed mixed results across the region. Total rice production grew nearly 3 percent to 835,445 metric tons, lifted by strong yields in irrigated fields. However, rainfed rice output dropped over 4 percent as changing weather patterns hit un-irrigated farms. Bukidnon continued to lead regional rice production, generating over 62 percent of the total output.
Overall corn production slipped slightly to 1.52 million metric tons. Yellow corn used for livestock feed declined, while white corn grown for food recorded modest gains. Bukidnon accounted for 70 percent of the region’s total corn harvest, while cassava dominated root crop production at 613,014 metric tons.
Agriculture Regional Executive Director Jose Apollo Y. Pacamalan noted that while total figures are up, recent storms and pest attacks created severe financial losses for local growers. He highlighted a recent outbreak of scale insects affecting sugarcane fields in Bukidnon, which threatened to spread to nearby crops.
In response, the agency expanded its emergency field spraying capacity tenfold, moving from five hectares to 50 hectares per day to contain crop diseases quickly.
To protect corn farmers from price drops and post-harvest spoilage, Pacamalan announced a ₱1-billion investment plan for modern post-harvest processing facilities. The target is to ensure harvested corn never touches the bare ground, allowing farmers to sell high-quality, mold-free grain directly to commercial buyers at better prices.
The regional agriculture office is also expanding KADIWA direct-market outlets to help farmers sell directly to consumers, cutting out expensive middlemen and stabilizing retail food prices across Northern Mindanao.
