BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Sugarlandia banked on sugar production among the major industries that posted positive growth last year as the province posted a 7.1 percent growth in 2021 from a previous year decline of – 5.8 percent.
In fact, the Gross Provincial Domestic Product report of the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the provincial economy growing by 0.9 percent compared to the pre-COVID19 pandemic level in 2019 and was valued at P230.7 billion last year from P221.6 billion.
PSA-Negros Occidental chief statistical specialist Luis Gonzales told DNX the first release of the GPDP for provinces and highly-urbanized city also showed Negros Occidental was one of the 16 provinces in the country that had surpassed the 2019 GPDP level among the 46 pilot provinces of the Provincial Product Accounts compilation.
The report, a first for the PSA, also showed the major industries that posted positive growth in 2021 were agriculture, forestry and fishing at 4.4 percent, industry (12.7 percent), and services (5.6 percent).
Construction led the 16 industries with 1.7 percentage points, followed by manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade (1.4 percent), repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (1.3 percent).
Gonzales told DNX the results indicated that agriculture, especially sugar production, remains a key contributor to the provincial economy.
Government data shows most of the more than 400,000 hectares of land planted to sugarcane are in Negros island that includes the province.
Bacolod, the highly urbanized capital here, also posted a higher growth rate of 4.9 percent in 2021 from a slump of – 13.9 percent in 2020 or a Gross City Domestic Product of P120.9 million in 2021 from P115.3 billion in 2020.
