Local producers of dried pili nuts can now resume exporting their products to the European Union .
The EU first started to significantly import dried pili nuts for consumption in 1997 before it was temporarily halted in 2015. “The EU market opening will benefit local pili processors and exporters, including thousands of pili farmers as this opportunity enables them to gain more income from higher value commodities such as pili,” the PCO said in a statement issued on Monday.Based on the 2021 data of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Bicol Region has 1,796.38 hectares of pili production area, which produced 4,932.60 metric tons of the edible nut.