VIGAN, Ilocos Sur -- The Ilocos provinces are the country’s largest producers of high-value crops.
Collectively, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan are the top producer of mango, tobacco, peanut, mungbean, tomato, garlic, onion, eggplant and pepper and second top producer of cabbage, water melon; and third top producer of bitter gourd (ampalaya), okra and string beans.
Region I's share to the national production output for the commodities, the Department of Agriculture said, is 93 percent in tobacco, 72 percent in onion, 69 percent in garlic, 62 percent in peanut, 61 percent in mango, 47percent in tomato, 41 percent in mongo, 40 percent in pepper and 35 percent in eggplant.
The DA said bulk of the mango produced in Region I comes from Pangasinan, accounting for 53 percent of the to the national output while it is also the region's top producer of peanut, mongo, eggplant and water melon.
Ilocos Sur continues to top tobacco-producing provinces in the region and in the country, accounting for 75 percent of the national output.
Ilocos Norte, meanwhile, accounts for 66 percent of the total national output in the production of garlic, and 35 percent in onion production. It is also a major producer of pepper with 27-percent share to the national output.
La Union is also a major producer of peanut with 17-percent share to the national output and a share of 12 percent in tobacco production.
The records came after the performance assessment and crafting of the Vegetable Road Map workshop recently conducted by the Department of Agriculture-Regional Field Unit I (DA-RFU I), through the High Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP). - Artemio A. Dumlao