AGRICULTURE production dropped 1.2 percent in the first quarter of the year due to the decline in the crops and fisheries subsectors, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
Despite the drop, the country recorded a 3.4-percent increase in the value of agricultural production at current prices, reaching P441.2 billion.
Agriculture Secretary William Dar said the decline was expected.
The first quarter of the year is the planting season for rice and marks the implementation of the closed fishing season in major fishing grounds around Panay Island, Sulu and Palawan.
The effects of the Taal Volcano eruption in January were also felt during the quarter.
Production in the crops subsector decreased 2.1 percent during the quarter and contributed 54.9 percent to the total agricultural production. At current prices, the subsector grossed P239.4 billion, 3.6 percent higher than last year’s gross receipts.
Palay, corn, calamansi, eggplant, abaca, coconut, potato, banana, tomato, mango, tobacco and ampalaya all suffered lower production with only cacao, onion and sugarcane recording growth.
The fisheries subsector contracted by 5.2 percent during the period and contributed 12.8 percent to the total agricultural output.
At current prices, the subsector grossed P63.3 billion, a 0.1 percent improvement compared to last year’s gross earnings for the period.
Among the major species, production drops were reported for tiger prawn, mudcrab, slipmouth, fimbriated sardines, tilapia, big-eyed scad, Indian mackerel, yellowfin tuna, seaweed, bigeye tuna, skipjack, frigate tuna, grouper, cavalla and roundscad during the quarter.
The only notable species that posted an increase for the period are Bali sardinella, blue crab and milkfish.
The livestock subsector with its 17.9 percent contribution to total agricultural production went up by 0.5 percent in the first quarter of 2020. At current prices, gross value of livestock production amounted to P75.7 billion, 2.3 percent lower than last year’s value.
Hog, goat and dairy grew duringthe period but carabao and cattle recorded lower figures.
The poultry subsector improved 3.9 percent in output for the quarter, accounting for 14.3 percent of total agricultural output. Its gross value of output went up by 14.44 percent to P62.9 billion at current prices.
Chicken, chicken eggs, ducks and duck eggs all booked increased production for the period.
“…We are hopeful of a rebound for the second quarter despite the impact of the COVID-19 crisis as strategic interventions under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund are expected to bear fruit and closed fishing season is lifted on these rich fishing grounds,” Dar said.
He said with programs such as the Plant, Plant, Plant and the P8.5-billion Rice Resiliency Project, farmers, fishers and consumers will benefit from improved agricultural production.
Meanwhile, the Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) criticized the Department of Agriculture (DA) for taking credit to the increase in palay farmgate prices , saying the uncertainties over imports triggered the spike.
Average palay prices stood P19.91 per kilogram in the last week of April , surpassing the P19 per kg buying price of the National Food Authority
The price level is the highest so far following the continuous decline in farmgate prices after the RTL was implemented in February 2019.
Raul Montemayor, FFF national manager, said both palay output and planted area declined in 2019 compared to 2018 as farmers scaled down their production in response to plunging palay prices due to imports.
“The current rise in palay prices is almost exclusively due to the COVID-19 pandemic which has made it more difficult and expensive to import rice. At the same time, there was an increased demand for rice to support households affected by the lockdowns. DA had very little to do with this,” Montemayor said.
