Agricultural and Market Information in Region II
Agriculture, mainly rice with a relatively large corn crop, is the biggest industry in Isabela. Farming is highly mechanized as most of the agrocultural lands are irrigated. With the presence of the Isabela State University, joint ventures, other foreign assisted projects, and the Magat Dam agriculture has a high level of productivity. It is also the hub of trade, commerce and other economic activities due to its central location in the region. The wood industry used to be a top earner for the province but due to the logging ban imposed in the Cagayan Valley Region, activities in this industry have considerably declined. However, furniture making using narra and other indigenous forest materials continues. Some potential investments are in fisheries and tourism. Isabela has a fertile fishing ground on the pacific coast. The reservoir of the Magat Dam is utilized for fish cage operations, such as tilapia production for domestic markets.
Commodity Profile
Grains/Cereals
• Rice
• Yellow Corn
• White Corn
High Value Commercial Crops
• Mango
• Banana
• Pineapple
• Peanut
• Calamansi/Citrus
• Spices (garlic, onion, ginger)
• Baguio vegetables (broccoli, beans, sweet peas, cabbage, squash, bell peper, chayote)
Livestock and Poultry
• Carabao – 313,853 heads
• Cattle – 147,520 heads
• Hogs – 565,295 heads
• Chicken – 7,248,045 heads
• Goat – 90,058 heads
• Duck – 878, 499 heads
Market Profile
There are 21 major trading centers in Region II which have daily market activities with 10-12 hours trading time. Nine major markets are found in the province of Cagayan; 7 market centers are situated in Isabela province; 2 centers in Nueva Vizcaya; 2 market center sin the province of Quirino and 1 major market in Batanes island.