DA6 Agribiz Profile

Western Visayas is Region 6 of the Philippines. It is a region in transition growing out of its traditional lifestyle and industries evolving into an economy responsive to the requirements of rapid development.

Agriculture contributes more than one-third of Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP). The rich soil and favorable climate of Western Visayas have made the sector a lucrative source of livelihood. About 67% of the region’s land area is devoted to Agriculture. Farms grow palay, corn, coconut, abaca, coffee, peanuts, sweet potato, garlic, banana, mango, cashew, cutflower, pineapple, cassava, tobacco, watermelon, and other legumes, various vegetables and rootcrops.

The islands comprising the region exhibit similar physical features characterized by relatively wide stretches of rivers and coastal lowlands that spread inland and a series of rugged hills and mountain lands in the interior areas. The region lies within two large inter-island water bodies, the Sibuyan and the Visayan Seas. It is surrounded by a number of bays and coves that provide good anchorage for fishing boats. It also has one of the richest fishing grounds in the country.

A. COMPOSITION
Region VI is comprised of the island of Panay, the province of Negros Occidental and the island of Guimaras. Panay island is composed of 4 provinces; Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Iloilo. There are a total of 16 cities, 116 municipalities and 4,048 barangays in the region. The city of Iloilo is the regional center of trade, industry, education, culture and government. Other important cities in the region were Bacolod and Roxas City. Region 6 is subdivided into 18 congressional districts. The provinces of Aklan, Antique, and Guimaras each represents one district; Capiz is composed of two districts; Iloilo with five districts; Negros Occidental 6 districts; and the cities of Iloilo and Bacolod are distinct congressional districts.

B. LOCATION AND AREA
Western Visayas lies 400 kilometers south of Manila and 150 kilometers west of the city of Cebu. The region is bordered in the north by the Jintotolo Channel and the Visayan Sea to the east. To the south of the islands, the Panay Gulf opens to the Sulu Sea. It has a total land area of 20,223.2 sq. kms. Which is approximately 6.74% of the total land area of the Philippines.

Table 1. Western Visayas Regional Profile.

PROVINCES	CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS	MUNICIPALITIES (no.)	BARANGAYs (no.)	CITIES (no.)	LAND AREA (sq. km.)
Aklan Antique Capiz Guimaras Iloilo Negros Occidental	1 1 2 1 6* 7*	17 18 16 5 42 18	327 590 473 96 1,901 661	- - 1 - 2 13	1,817.90 2,522.00 2,633.20 604.60 4,719.40 7,926.10
Western Visayas	18	1,116	4,048	16	20,223.2

C. CLIMATE
The provinces of Western Visayas have a diverse climate. The western half of Aklan, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and western tip of Capiz is classified as Type 1 under the Coronas System of Climate Classification, which is characterized by two pronounced seasons: dry season from November to April and wet season during the rest of the year. The annual rainfall under this classification ranges from 1 to 2,500 mm and a growing period of 210-270 days. The areas under this classification cover most of the existing agricultural land in the lowland, upland, and hilly areas represents some 12,640 sq. kms. or around 60% of the land area of the Region. In other areas of the region, the climate is Type III and is characterized by seasons where maximum rain periods are not pronounced and the dry seasons last only from one to three months. Rainfall pattern shows a peak rainfall occurrence during the month of September and lowest on March to April.

D. LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES
The total land area of Western Visayas is 20,223.2 sq. kms. or approximately 35.7% of the Visayas total land area . A total of 13,304.8 sq. kms. or 66% of the region’s total land area are classified as alienable and disposable lands while the remaining 34% or 6,918.4 has. are classified as forestland.

Figure 1. Percentage share of Land Area by Province, Western Visayas.

Negros Occidental has the biggest land area of 7,926.10 sq. kms. or 40%; followed by Iloilo with 4,719.40 sq. kms. or 23%; Capiz with 2,633.20 sq. kms. or 13%; Antique with 2,522.00 sq. kms. or 12%; Aklan with 1,817.90 sq. kms. or 9%; and Guimaras with 604.6 sq. kms. or 3%. Detailed land area of the provinces and municipalities by region are shown on Table 2.

Agricultural Area
The agricultural area in Western Visayas totaled to 10, 238.46 sq. kms. or 1,023,846 has. The rest are apportioning to grassland, woodland, wetland and miscellaneous land with a total of 9,984.65 sq. kms. or 998,465 has. Out of this area, about 86% or 8,758.25 sq. kms. or 875,825 has. is presently cultivated while the remaining 14% or 1,480.21 sq. kms. is developing. Hence, it is potential for agricultural expansion. Table 3 shows the breakdown summary of the agricultural land by province.

A total of 319,899 has. is devoted to rice production of which 135,883 has. are irrigated and 184,016 are rainfed. Negros occidental is the province with the largest agricultural area (4,320 sq. km.) followed by Iloilo province with 2,410 sq. km. Region VI ranks first in sugarcane production contributing 57.13% share in the national total of 14, 362,777mt. and second largest rice producer contributing 13.15% share (1,722,729 mt.) posting regional sufficiency level of 105.28 (BAS Data, 2002).

Fisheries Area
Fisheries takes up center stage in the 77 municipalities and 899 barangays stretch of their coastline offers considerable wealth that support diversity of marine life in terms of fish species, coral reefs and mangrove areas. Table 4 presents the provincial breakdown of coastal municipalities and barangays.

Resources for inland fishery include 642 rivers, 32 lakes, and 44 lagoons which are available for direct fishing and culture purposes. Thus, fishpond development in Western Visayas accounts 699.41 sq. kms. of which 615.70 sq. kms. are operational. The top fishpond operators in Capiz, Negros, and Iloilo provinces are operating this area. Table 6 shows the fisheries resources.

Existing Land Use
The existing land use in Western Visayas Region is classified into four: Certified Alienable Land and Dispensable Land, Classified Forest Land/Established Forest Reservation, Wilderness Areas, and Unclassified Forest Land.

E. SOIL TYPE
The predominant soil types in the region are: clay loam of Sta. Rita and Alimodian series, sandy loam of Sara, Umingan, Luisiana series, and clay for Panay island; Guimbala-on clay, Silay fine sandy loams of volcanic origin for Negros Occidental while Guimaras it is the Faraon clay, gravely loam and Sara sandy loam. Soils have the characteristics of fairly deep and high degree of permeability.

Western Visayas four predominant soil types by province:

A. Aklan	a. Alimodian Clay Loam b. Sapi-an Clay c. Sara Clay d. San Rafael Clay Loam
B. Antique	a. Alimodian -Bolinao Complex b. Umingon Clay Loam c. Umigon Sandy Loam d. Sta. Rita Clay
C. Capiz	a. Alimodian Clay Loam b. Sapi-an Clay c. Sara Clay d. San Rafael Clay Loam
D. Guimaras	a. Guimaras Gravely Loam b. Para-on Clay c. San Rafael Loam d. Sara Sandy Loam
E. Iloilo	a. Alimodian Clay Loam b. Sta. Rita Clay Loam c. San Rafael Loam d. Barotac Loam
F. Negros Occidental	a. Guimbala-on Clay b. Silay Fine Sandy Loam c. Isabela Clay Loam d. Bantog Clay Loam

Table 6. Fishery Resources, Western Visayas.

PROVINCES	RESOURCES
	SWAMPLAND^/1	EXISTING FRESH WATER^/1	FISHPOND BRACKISH WATER^/1	OTHER RESOURCES^/2
	SWAMPLAND^/1	EXISTING FRESH WATER^/1	FISHPOND BRACKISH WATER^/1	RIVERS (no.)	LENGTH (kms.)	LAKES (no.)	AREA (sq. kms.)	DAMS (no.)	AREA (has.)	LAGOONS (no.)	AREA (has.)	WATER IMPOUNDMENTS (no.)	AREA (has.)
Aklan	3,036	3	7,763	133	580	6	242	16	11,300	-	-	-	-
Antique	-	15	411	85	1,090	-	-	-	-	8	9	-	-
Capiz	1,832	4	18,774	105	90	11	20	12	33	-	-	143	1,420
Guimaras	715	-	1,219	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Iloilo	1,201	25	15,509	158	1,641	10	195	27	543	34	19	27	14
Neg. Occ.	7,326	30	17,815	161	1,475	5	71	4	6	2	5	-	-
Total	14,110	77	61,491	642	4,876	32	528	59	11,882	44	33	170	1,434

Source: /1 1988 Regional Handbook on Land and Other Physical Resources
/2 1988 Fishery Sector Profile

F. Irrigation
The Western Mountain Range Of Panay Acts As The Watershed, Which Is The Source Of The West-Heading Rivers In Antique And Of The East-Flowing Rivers In Iloilo And Capiz. There Are 92 Streams That Traverse Antique And More Than A Hundred Rivers And Creeks In Iloilo But Only Fifteen Are Considered Possible Sources Of Irrigation. The Jalaur River Is The Main River In Panay. Its Basin Has A Peak Annual Discharge Of Approximately 600,000 I/Sec., And A Minimum Of 10,000 I/Sec. Stream Flows Of The Jalaur River Are Greatly Reduced During Dry Season Due To The Continuing Denudation Of The Watershed Areas. Negros Occidental Numerous Rivers Radiate from The Kanla-On Mountain Ranges Into The Coastal Areas. Of The Total Rice Area, 204,432 Ha. Are Considered Irrigable, 47% Of This Area Is Serviced Irrigable, 47% Of This Serviced By Irrigation Facilities.

G. Financial Institutions
Table 7. List of Financial Institutions, Western Visayas.

1st E Bank	1
Allied Banking Corporation	11
Asian Bank	1
Bacolod City Development Bank	1
Banco de Oro	7
Bangko Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank	1
Bank of America Savings Bank	2
Bank of Commerce	2
Bank of Philippine Islands	11
BPI Agricultural and Development Bank	4
Capitol Bank	3
China Banking Corp.	3
Consumer Savings Bank	1
Cooperative Rural Bank of Negros Occ. Inc.	1
Cooperative Rural Bank of Aklan	1
Development Bank of the Philippines	8
East West Bank	1
Equitable Banking Corporation	4
Export and Industry Bank	1
Far East Bank and Trust Company	8
Farmer’s Bank of Capiz Inc.	1
Homeowner’s Savings Bank	1
Iloilo City Development Bank	3
Kalibo Rural Bank Inc.	1
Keppel Monte Bank	4
Land Bank of the Philippines	14
LBC Bank	1
Malay Rural Bank Inc.	1
Maybank Phils, Inc.	2
Metro Bank and Trust Company	11
Monte de Piedad and Savings Bank	3
PACP Development Bank	3
PDCP Development Bank	3
Phil-Am Savings Bank	1
Philippine Bank of Communications	1
Philippine Commercial International Bank	12
Philippine National Bank	11
Philippine Postal Savings Bank, Inc.	3
Philippine Veterans Bank	1

H. Post Harvest Facilities
Tables 8-13 specify the detailed list of Post Harvest Facilities in Region VI by province.

Table 8. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Aklan.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL
CAPACITY

Multipurpose Drying Pavement
Seed Storage and Processing Plant
Mechanical Dryer
Auction Market Stall
NFA Warehouse
30
1
5
1
1

100 cavans/unit

80,000 bags

Table 9. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Antique.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY

Multipurpose Drying Pavement
Seed Storage and Processing Plant
Slaughter House
Agri Market Center
Coconut oil mill
Muscovado Sugar Mills
Palay Drier
Rice Mills
Warehouse
30
1
2
4
2
142
1
208
11

100 cavans/unit

5,129 MT; 79,038 piculs

1,789 cavans/hour; 1,073 MT / day
179,700 sacks

Table 10. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Capiz.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY

Multipurpose Drying Pavement
Seed Storage and Processing Plant
Farm Equipment Facilities
Dairy Development Project
Nurseries
Hatcheries
Rice Mills
Corn Mills/Grinder
Warehouse

26
1
1 set
1
14
25
249
53
69

100 cavans/unit

33.4 Million (operational)
236 million
236 cav./hr.
5 operational in Public Markets
540,000 bags for NFA
896,902 bags @ 50 kg./bag-Private

Table 11. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Guimaras.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY

Warehouse
MPDP
Rice Mills
Corn Mills
Kiskisan
Semi-cono
Cono
2
7
204
2
141
55
8

18,000 bags
100 cav/unit
300-1,000 kg.
100-300 kg.
100-400 kg.
100-1,000 kg.
200-250 kg.

Table 12. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Iloilo.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY

Bagsakan Center
Food Terminal and Distribution Center
Seed Storage and Processing Plant
Agri-Market Center
MPDP
Seed Testing Laboratory
Farmers' Integrated Grain Center
Feed Mills
Rice Mills
NFA Warehouses
6
1
1
1
148
1
1
8
290
6

100 cav/unit

500 kg. - 1.0 MT/batch
5,370 MT
1,407,275 bags

Table 13. Post Harvest Facility, Province of Negros Occidental.

TYPE NO.
OF
UNITS TOTAL CAPACITY

Rice Thresher
Warehouse
Rice Mills
Mechanical Dryer
Solar Dryer
Stripper/Harvester
Floating Tiller
Reaper
Corn Mills
Power Tiller/Hand Tractor
Copra Dryer
Corn Sheller
Deep Well Irrigation Pump
Sugar Mill
577
431
549
13
217
3
1
1
53
738
1
19
758
15

100-50,000 bags/10-500 cav/hr.

500-15,000 kg./hr.

778.16 bags/hr.

1,500- 10,000/tons/cane/day

PROVINCE	EXISTING AREAS	EXPANSION AREAS	TOTAL
Aklan	535.45	70.01	605.46
Antique	473.36	2.27	475.63
Capiz	848.96	102.17	951.13
Guimaras	292.48	239.74	532.22
Iloilo	2,273.93	260.73	2534.66
Negros Occidental	4,334.07	805.29	5139.36
Western Visayas	8,758.25	1,480.21	10,238.46

PROVINCES	CERTIFIED ALIENABLE LAND AND DISPENSABLE LAND (sq. kms.)	CLASSIFIED FOREST LAND/ESTABLISHED FOREST RESERVATION (sq. kms.)	NATIONAL PARKS GAMES REFUGEES & BIRD SANCTUARIES / WILDERNESS AREAS (sq. kms.)	UNCLASSI FIED FOREST LAND (sq. kms.)
Aklan Antique Capiz Guimaras Iloilo Negros Occidental	1,104.52 1,335.56 1,593.66 567.68 3,502.85 5,403.50	713.37 1,186.35 912.30 36.49 1,160.57 2,508.46	0 0 0 0 0 252.77	0 0 127.22 0.40 0 14.11
Western Visayas	13,507.86	6,517.53	252.77	141.73

PROVINCES	COASTAL MUNICIPALITIES (no.)	COASTAL BARANGAYS (no.)
Aklan Antique Capiz Guimaras Iloilo Negros Occidental	12 15 6 5 19 20	73 176 68 57 245 280
Western Visayas	77	899