TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
S.B,
25 JUL 15 P3:23
SENAT%o
No.
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT,
AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF THE DRAGON FRUIT,
AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article II, Section 21 of the 1987 Constitution provides that, " The State shall 
promote comprehensive rural development Moreover, Article II, Section 15 states that 
" The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and Instill health 
consciousness among them."
The dragon fruit, locally known as "Saniata" or "Pitahaya" in Asia, is a high value 
crop that is rapidly gaining a reputation as a "superfood". The dragon fruit is rich in 
fiber, phytoalbumins, and antioxidants, and as such is being evaluated as a potential 
tool for cancer prevention and diabetes management.
Due to its recognition as a superfood, the global dragon fruit industry is on the 
upswing. The Dragon Fruit Market was valued at USD 510 Million in 2024 and is 
projected to reach USD 543.15 Million in 2025, growing to USD 898.91 Million by 2033, 
with exhibiting CAGR of 6.5%. The major producers of the dragon fruit are Viet Nam, 
China, Mexico, Colombia, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines. The main 
producing regions of the Philippines are Ilocos Norte, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon 
and Calabarzon, with a total of five hundred (500) hectares devoted to the crop.
Despite the industry's potential, dragon fruit farming suffers from relatively low 
productivity of eleven (11) metric tons per hectare per year, compared to Viet Nam's 
production of up to thirty-five (35) metric tons per hectare per year. This is due to our 
dragon fruit farmers lacking the needed training, technology and overall knowledge of 
production to maximize their yield. In particular, there is a need to develop a standard 
planting protocol, establish an accredited source of healthy planting material, provide


training programs for local farmers, support the establishment of post-harvesting 
facilities equipped with the necessary sanitary and phytosanitary processing and 
packaging machines, secure funding for the development of processing areas, facilitate 
market access for both domestic and international markets, and assist local government 
units in promoting the production, process, and trading of dragon fruit.
This bill seeks to address the concerns mentioned above by providing the 
mechanism for the establishment of programs for efficient production, processing, 
marketing, and distribution of dragon fruit to ensure growth in production and export.
sought.
For the abovementioned reasons, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly


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TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL15 P3:23
SENAi;|. „
S.B. No.
RtCEiVLD BY;
Introduced by SENATOR IMEE R. MARCOS
AN ACT
URGING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, 
AND EXPORT PROMOTION OF THE DRAGON FRUIT, 
AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Dragon Fruit Development Act."
Sec. 2. Development of Dragon Fruit - The Department of Agriculture (DA), in 
consultation with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), 
Department of Science and Technology (DOST), dragon fruit growers' cooperatives and 
organizations, local government units, and the private sector, shall formulate a one- 
year framework to be validated and updated annually. Such framework shall serve as 
guide to the formulation and implementation of plans, programs and projects for the 
production, marketing, processing and distribution of dragon fruit for food and 
commercial needs, as envisioned in this Act. The framework shall likewise provide for 
the following:
a) National Framework - The DA, DOST, state universities and colleges (SUCs), and 
other stakeholders shall strengthen the conduct of researches on dragon fruit 
particularly on areas of crop improvement, crop protection, harvesting and 
postharvest handling, supply chain analysis, marketing and promotion;
b) Investment Promotion and Facilitation - The DA and DTI shall develop programs 
establishing links between stakeholders in the dragon fruit industry and 
Government Financial Institutions (GFIs) and other financial cooperatives. The 
DA and DTT shall likewise develop and implement programs that would establish 
reasonable and innovative investment incentives to attract more players in the 
dragon fruit industry;
c) Export Promotion Support - An integrated and strategic export promotion 
program for dragon fruit industry shall be created. The export promotion


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program shall be responsive to market conditions, needs of the exporters, and 
possibilities offered by new products and technologies. It shall likewise provide 
foreign trade and export promotion activities through trainings, technical 
assistance, capacity building, generating awareness on export opportunities, and 
export planning assistance;
d) Strengthen Trade Policies and Support Network. - The DA shall be responsible 
in coordinating a consultative approach for the various stages of the trade policy 
making process. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) shall lead the 
negotiation of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) to provide a competitive 
environment for dragon fruit exports abroad; and
e) Monitoring and Evaluation. - The DA shall continuously monitor, track, and 
analyze the progress and outcomes of the programs to be implemented to 
determine over-all effectiveness.
Sec. 3. Appropriations. - The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be included 
in the annual General Appropriations Act (GAA). Thereafter, such funds as may be 
necessary for the continued Implementation of this Act shall be included in the 
succeeding annual GAA.
Sec. 4. Separability Clause. - If any provision, or part hereof, is held invalid or 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision not otherwise affected shall 
remain valid and subsisting.
Sec. 5. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive order, 
letter of instruction, administrative order, rule or regulation contrary to or inconsistent 
with, the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed, modified, or amended accordingly.
Sec. 6. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.
Approved,