The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is planning to leverage the sustained demand for agricultural commodities to maintain the positive momentum of the country’s exports amid ongoing global uncertainties.

Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the country’s export performance in May reflects the strength and competitiveness of domestic exporters, particularly in the food sector.

Based on preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), agro-based products increased by 14 percent to $698.78 million in May from $612.61 million in the same month in 2025.

The top agricultural exports for the month included beverages, processed food products, dairy products, snacks, and other value-added offerings, the DTI said.

Coconut oil, in particular, was a major contributor to export growth as its shipments to overseas markets reached $237.71 million, up by a quarter from $189.79 million.

“To ensure this upward momentum, the DTI is championing a whole-of-government approach to aggressively push and drive our exports through strategic, targeted support programs in partnership with both the public and private sectors,” Roque said in a statement.

“Moving forward, we are ensuring a sharper focus on accelerating the growth of our agricultural sector, ensuring that our high-value agri-products and innovative goods are ready to compete on the global stage,” she added.

To sustain the momentum of agricultural exports, Roque said the DTI will continue to support food manufacturers through trade promotion and market development support programs.

She added that her agency will also seek to collaborate with government and industry stakeholders to broaden market opportunities for local commodities, providing stability in an otherwise volatile trade environment.

“The DTI is committed to helping Filipino exporters break into new markets, enhance their global presence, and seize fresh growth opportunities,” Roque said.

Earlier, Roque said that food products, including potential export winners such as ube and mango, would help ramp up demand for the country’s exports this year.

Based on PSA data, the country’s export revenues went up by 7.6 percent to $7.87 billion in May, compared to $7.32 billion in the same month last year.

From January to May, merchandise exports rose by 10.6 percent to $37.87 billion from $34.25 billion in the same period last year.

Electronic products remained the top export commodity group at $20.83 billion, or 55 percent of the country’s total export value.

In terms of export markets, the United States (US) was the leading destination for Philippine products in the first five months, with total earnings reaching $6.68 billion.

Meanwhile, the country’s total imports expanded by more than 16 percent to $63.11 billion by the end of May from $54.32 billion in the same period last year.

The balance of trade in goods, which measures the difference between exports and imports, widened by 25.7 percent to $25.24 billion from $20.08 billion.