Eastern Visayas began 2025 on a strong economic note as it recorded a US$25.80 million trade surplus in January, according to preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
This is a major improvement from the $57.51 million trade deficit in the same month last year.
The region’s total trade, which includes both exports and imports, reached $431.35 million in January 2025.
This is 16.0% higher compared to $371.94 million in January 2024.
The strong growth was mainly due to the significant increase in exports.
Exports rose by 45.5%, from $157.11 million in January 2024 to $228.58 million this year.
The biggest contributor to this growth was the export of copper and copper products, which were valued at $176.44 million.
This commodity made up 77.2% of the region’s total exports.
Australia was the top destination for exports from Eastern Visayas, buying $120.58 million worth of goods.
This accounted 52.8% of the region’s total export value in January.
On the other hand, imports slightly decreased by 5.6%, from $214.83 million last year to $202.77 million this year.
Despite the drop in value, the volume of imported goods increased by 20.8%, from 146.85 million kilograms to 177.34 million kilograms.
Most of the imported goods fell under the "ores, slag, and ash" category, with a total value of $175.24 million, or 86.4% of all imports in the region.
Canada was the leading source of imports, supplying $74.69 million, which is 36.8% of the total import value.
PSA Regional Director Wilma A. Perante said the region’s trade performance in January 2025 shows a positive trend for the local economy.
The sharp rise in exports, especially copper, combined with a slight drop in import spending, helped Eastern Visayas shift from a trade deficit to a surplus.
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