INDUSTRY
Agriculture
Agriculture is the primary industry in Aurora, employing approximately half of the population. About 49,991 hectares, or 15% of the provincial land area, consist of cultivated land. Major crops include rice, coconut, coffee, bananas, root crops, corn, citrus fruits, peanuts and abaca.
| Major Crops | Area (in hectares) | Volume Production (2004) |
Coconut | 23,285 | 174,869 metric tons |
Palay (Rice) | 21,250 | 77,655 metric tons |
Banana | 2,205 | 7,072 metric tons |
Camote (Sweet Potato) | 385 | 2,315 metric tons |
Calamansi (Phil. Citrus) | 220 | 1,998 metric tons |
Corn | 812 | 1,378 metric tons |
Cassava | 145 | 1,212 metric tons |
Peanuts | 625 | 939 metric tons |
Pineapple | 63 | 330 metric tons |
Coffee | 735 | 266 metric tons |
Eggplant | 82 | 207 metric tons |
Abaca | 184 | 13 metric tons |
The province also has many poultry and livestock farmers. Chicken is the biggest poultry and livestock produced followed by swine and ducks. Although there are quite a large number of carabaos in the province, most of these are used in farming.
| Animal Type | Inventory (2003) |
Chicken | 350,501 |
Swine | 84,350 |
Duck | 52,394 |
Carabao | 27,190 |
Goat | 14,160 |
Cattle | 5,256 |
Forestry & Fishing
Forestry is another significant industry. About 74% percent of the province's 323,954 hectares can be classified as woodland. Virtually all (99.9%) of the forest areas are classified as woodland, steep sloping land and inaccessible land. In some of these forest areas, one can observe the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture (kaingin) by upland cultivators. Cottage industries in the province make use of such forest products as rattan, nito, sabutan, luknoy, puroy and pandan.
Fishing is also a major industry. Of eight municipalities, seven lie along coastal areas. Approximately one-third of the province's population located in 48 barangays along the coastline is dependent on the fishing industry.
| Fishing Type | Volume (2004) |
Aquaculture Fishing | 633 metric tons |
Inland Municipal Fishing | 235 metric tons |
Marine Municipal Fishing | 3,517 metric tons |
Natural Resources
Aurora is rich in mineral deposits. Metallic ores such as copper, iron, chromate, manganese, gold and nickel are abundant especially in the Sierra Madre area. The province also has many non-metallic minerals, including guano, black sand, cement, marble, carbon and silica. Largely untapped, these deposits can contribute significantly to the country's mining industry.
The province is also endowed with vast natural resources that could support numerous cottage industries. Aurora is rich in sabutan, coconut and its by-products, nipa, bamboo, gravel, sand, wood, rattan, shell, buri and nito. But these resources remain largely untapped due to lack of investment. The cottage industries would benefit from tourism and development.
Tourism
Aurora is blessed with many natural tourist attractions. Its waterfalls, beaches, historic places, lush green mountains and blue ocean waters are stunning, as are the green country pastures and farmlands. Most of these natural attractions remain untainted. In this light, tourism can be considered a potentially important growth industry.
Trade
The trade industry employs about 11.5% of Aurora's population. About 300 establishments in the province are engaged in wholesale and retail trading. It represents half of the total registered establishments in the province. Most of these establishments are found in Baler, the trade capital of Aurora and deal mostly with the basic needs of the constituents.
Virgin Coconut Distilled Wine and Coconut Vinegar
The town of Casiguran produces some of Philippine's best tasting virgin coconut distilled wine, also known as "lambanog". Casiguran's "lambanog" is made from the dripping sap or "tuba" of coconut tree flowers. The sweet and frothy "tuba" - a rejuvenating drink by itself - is cooked through a strict process of natural fermentation and distillation that produces the chemical-free "lambanog".
Coconut vinegar is also made from "tuba". The "tuba" is naturally fermented between 60 to 90 days. When the "tuba" has reached its natural acidity level, it is then boiled without preservatives and chemical additives to produce the best tasting vinegar.
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