The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is optimistic about surpassing last year’s 15 percent growth in merchandise exports and hitting a new record high this year, banking on strong demand for the country’s key commodities.

On the sidelines of the National Exporters’ Fair, Trade Secretary Cristina Roque said the government is hopeful that the positive growth momentum of the country’s exports will continue this year.

“We’re hoping for that, definitely,” she said in an interview on Wednesday, July 22.

The value of the country’s merchandise exports rose by 15 percdnt to $84.48 billion in 2025 from $73.27 billion the previous year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Last year’s goods exports were the highest recorded by the PSA since 1991.

While the Middle East crisis remains a challenge to the export sector, Roque said another record year for goods exports remains well within reach.

Preliminary PSA data showed that merchandise exports rose by more than 10% to $37.87 billion from January to May, up from $34.25 billion in the same period last year.

Roque said export growth this year will be driven by reliable, usual performers, including electronic products and agricultural commodities.

For the first five months, electronic products maintained their position as the country’s top export group at $20.83 billion, accounting for 55 percent of total export value. Meanwhile, exports of agro-based products grew by 14 percent to $3.41 billion during the reference period, up from $2.99 billion a year earlier.

For agriculture, Roque said the DTI will also lean on potential export winners like ube and calamansi to boost export demand this year.

“We are now also checking with the regional offices to identify new products that we can promote. The Philippines has so much to offer, especially in the agriculture sector,” she said.

The DTI chief noted that free trade agreements (FTAs) currently under negotiation will also help drive export growth this year. She said these agreements will contribute significantly to demand by giving Philippine products foreign market access under more preferential tariff regimes.

The Philippines is expected to complete negotiations for FTAs with the European Union, Chile, Canada, and India, as well as amendments to its economic partnership agreement with Japan, before the end of the year.

Roque added that securing FTAs and expanding exports are among the DTI’s “legacy projects” under the Marcos administration.