Central Visayas

PROFILE

Bohol l Cebu l Negros Oriental l Siquijor 

--- BOHOL ---

Physical Profile:

With a land area of 4,821 km² (1,861 sq mi) and a coastline 261 km (162 mi) long, Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines. The terrain of Bohol is basically rolling and hilly, and about half the island is covered in limestone. Near the outer areas of the island are low mountain ranges. The interior is a large plateau with irregular landforms. Bohol’s climate is generally dry, with maximum rainfall between the months of June and October.

Its agricultural area is estimated at 66% of the total land area, or about 273,950 hectares (ha). With most of its land utilized for agriculture, the province is considered as a Food granary of the Central Visayas region. Rice production in the province covers 70,117.00 ha of which only 56.11% or 39,346.00 ha are irrigated areas.  Being an alternative food for rice, corn is consumed by about 16% of Bohol’s population. The industrial demand for this crop is also increasing, as the livestock sector in the province continues to prosper. In 2018, there are about 11,983 ha of land harvested with corn.  Much of these lands are utilized for white corn production (11,931 ha – 99.56%) and some lands for yellow corn production (52 ha – 0.44%).

However, Bohol is best known for its ubi kinampay, an aromatic purple yam and it is native to the province. Meanwhile, “kinampay” is a variety of ubi which is native to Bohol. Its flesh is a marbled purple color and is well-known for its aroma. There are also other ubi purple varieties in the rest of the country but not as venerated and advertised as that of kinampay in Bohol. Ubi is not only the Boholanos’ staple rootcrop but was also venerated as a sacred crop during ancient times in Bohol. During a famine, it is said that ubi was the only crop that grew in Bohol soil that saved the Boholanos from death, thus their great respect for it, so much so that it’s the only staple food included in their Bohol Hymn (Dela Cruz, 2006).

Agricultural Profile:

Aside from palay and corn, coconut, banana, cassava, banana saba, and oil palm are the top five other crops that are being produce in Bohol based on the volume of production (PSA, 2018).

Palay, irrigated palay and rainfed palay, has the largest volume of production in the province which is 225,548 metric tons (mt) followed by Coconut (with husk), 170,292.79 mt. Among all the major crops produced, Banana Saba has the highest yield in Bohol at 20.95%.

The major livestock and poultry in Bohol for backyard and commercial purposes based on PSA data as of July 1, 2019 says that swine has 308,208 heads both for backyard and commercial purposes and considered having the greatest number of heads among all the livestock. On the other hand, chicken, which is classified into broiler, layer, and native/improved, has the greatest total number of poultry heads with 3,915,536 heads compared to duck which has only 57,659 heads both for backyard and commercial purposes.

--- NEGROS ORIENTAL ---

Physical Profile:

The Island of Negros is originally called Buglas, an old Hiligaynon word which means “to cut off”. It refers to the dark-skinned natives that lived on the island which was later on changed to Negros by the Spanish invaders. It is considered as the fourth largest island in the Philippines and comprises the highly urbanized city of Bacolod and the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental, along with its corresponding outlying islands and islets. Negros is noted for being the nation’s prime producer and exporter of sugar.  Sugarcane plantation is prevalent in the agricultural areas of the island. Then, followed by the organic agricultural products such as corn, rice, and coconut. Meanwhile, in the coastal areas, fishing is considered as the main source of livelihood. The principal products grown are sugarcane, cassava, coconut, corn and rice. 

Negros Oriental faces Cebu to the east across the Tañon Strait and Siquijor to the south-east. It has a total land area of 538,553 hectares. The province has three different climates: the tropical monsoon, tropical rainforest and the tropical savanna climate. The province also lies outside the typhoon belt.

Negros Oriental has 3 districts comprising 6 component cities and 19 municipalities with a total of 557 barangays.

Agricultural Profile:

Like most people in the country, people in Negros Oriental are involved in the agriculture industry.

Among the provinces in Central Visayas, Cebu has the highest number of farms while Negros Oriental ranked second with 137,100 number of farms, covering 228,000 hectares.

The major crops in Negros Oriental. Aside from palay and corn, there are other major crops that are produced in the province. These are sugarcane, coconut (with husk), banana, banana saba, and cassava. These are the top 5 other crops in the province based on the volume of production of Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as of 2018. Sugarcane production is very dominant in the province with a volume of production of 2,179,531.33 metric tons yielding 55.65 metric tons per hectare. It is followed by coconut (with husk) and banana with a volume of production of 153,049.71 metric tons and 70,449.52 respectively.

The major livestock and poultry in the province based on July 1, 2019 PSA data recorded that there are 2,326,732 total heads of chicken (broiler: 389,976 heads, layer: 59,967 heads, and native/improved: 1,876,789 heads) in the province. For the livestock, swine has the greatest number of heads, 268,508 heads both for backyard and commercial purposes. It is followed by goats with a total of 186,011 heads both for backyard and commercial purposes.

--- SIQUIJOR ---

Physical Profile:

The island lies about 19 kilometers (12 mi) east of the nearest point on southern Negros, 25 kilometers (16 mi) southeast of Cebu, 30 kilometers (19 mi) southwest of Bohol, and 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of Zamboanga Peninsula of Mindanao. With a land area of 32,700 hectares and a coastline 102 kilometers (63 mi) long, Siquijor is the third smallest province of the Philippines, both in terms of population as well as land area (after Camiguin and Batanes).

It is predominantly hilly and in many places, the hills reach the sea, producing precipitous cliffs. At the center, Mount Malabahoc (locally known as Mount Bandila‑an) reaches about 628 meters (2,060 ft) in elevation, the highest point on the island.

Three marine terraces can be roughly traced especially in the vicinity of Tag‑ibo on the southwestern part of the island, a barrio of San Juan municipality from the seacoast up into the central part.

Siquijor is a lone district and has six municipalities (see Table 1) and 134 barangays, with its capital, the municipality of Siquijor where 27.9% or 26,861 out of the 95,984 population reside.

Its climate is maximum rainfall with a short dry season from one to three months and a wet season of nine to ten months. The dry season starts in February and lasts through April sometimes extending to mid-May.

Agricultural Profile:

Despite the rugged terrain, agriculture is still the predominant sector in the province, 13,337 hectares are under agriculture cultivation. Aside from palay and corn, the other major crops in Siquijor are rice, corn, banana, banana saba, coconut (with husk), cassava, and mango. These are the top 5 other crops based on the volume of production from PSA 2018.

The main export products are copra, knitting craft, toy, and garment. There are 18,000 hectares of forestland with a rather high production of timber. The fishery output is relatively big, with not only fish farms on the sea but also freshwater and marsh fish ponds.

Banana has the highest volume of production, 14,519.45 metric tons, followed by banana saba and coconut(with husk). This is due to intensified banana backyard farming. Banana is exported to nearby provinces like Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Bohol. Harvested banana is also processed in the province and made into banana chips, which are sold as pasalubong.

The inventory of livestock in the province has continuously increased in recent years. The major livestock and poultry in the province based on July 1, 2019 PSA data recorded that there are no carabao, cattle, and goats for commercial purposes in the province. There is also no chicken broiler recorded in the province. Swine has the greatest number of heads, 49,052 heads for backyard and commercial purposes. It is followed by chicken, 583,881 heads for layer and native/improved.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ACCOUNTS

Source: Philippine Statistics Authority