Industry & Trade

Major Industry

Manufacturing
Although Bohol is predominantly an agricultural province, home-based industries which are mostly in the micro and cottage-size levels, play an important role in the economy. Five firms are considered to belong to the large-scale category with a combined capitalization of P251.3 million and have employed 600 persons. These firms include the Philippine Sinter Corporation, Philippine Starch Industrial Corporation, Southern Industrial Projects, Inc., Tagbilaran Coca-Cola Bottlers, inc. and Frontier Resources, Inc.

Micro and cottage-size manufacturing industries, with asset sizes ranging between P1 to P10 million, dominate the industry in terms of number. In 1992, this industry sector has more than 500 firms with a combined capitalization of more than P50 million.

The handicraft sector is one of the most dominant manufacturing industries, yet one of the earliest to have been established since the 1920's. Basically home-based and labor intensive, this sector employed the most number of workers: 24,000 in 1992, in 8,232 families, found in almost all municipalities. In terms of capitalization, the industry accounted for a total of P15.55 million. Sales figures reached P489.64 million from 1989 to 1992.

The subsectors of the 400 handicraft industry firms include mats and baskets which have 3,080 and 3,278 families, respectively, as direct beneficiaries. Sales volume for mats and baskets alone amounted to P426 million. Loom weaving, on the other hand, has 1,874 families with sales volume of P63.64 million.

Other industry sectors include fashion accessories, shellcraft, woodcraft, food processing, ceramics and handmade paper and novelty items.

Trade

Imports/Exports
Total value of incoming commodities in 1992 totaled P1.61 billion. Grocery items topped the list of imports followed by wine, liquor, hardware, cement, corn grits, animal feeds, rice, refined sugar, medicine, flour, appliances, fertilizer, cooking oil, dry goods and veterinary products.

Outgoing products reached P845.6 million in 1992. Galvanized iron sheets led the top fifteen outgoing products followed by cattle, carabao, cooked fish, native products, grocery goods, fruits, cassava chips, fresh fish, mangoes, silica sand, salted fish, rice and banana.

Trading Establishments
There are 6,382 business establishments in the province which include trading and service firms. The central business district is located in Tagbilaran City although business thrives in the growth center of Ubay, Talibon, Tubigon, Carmen and Jagna. Big establishments in Tagbilaran do peddling in the municipalities. All the municipalities have their own market centers where trading activities are conducted during market days.

Export Performance
In 1989, two products in the province directly found their way to the export market. These are the starch produced by the Philippine Starch Industrial Corporation (PSIC) in Carmen town and the limestone from the Philippine Sinter Corporation (PSC) in Garcia-Hernandez. Both products are exported to Taiwan.

Handicrafts, seaweeds and prawn are also exported indirectly and are sold to Cebu and Manila-based exporters and buyers who in turn sell to foreign markets.

Total export sales amounted to $30 million broken down as $18.2 million for handicrafts and $11.8 million for aquaculture from 1989 to 1992.

Investment Priority Areas

Tourism
Gifts, Toys & Housewares
Agriculture
Aquaculture
Agroforestry

Other investment areas include mineral water, fish canning, farm implements, steam laundry, shipbuilding, and terra cota production.