The Philippines’ overall agricultural output contracted at annual pace of 0.3 percent in the first quarter of the year due to a slowdown in the crops, livestock and fisheries subsectors, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.
But value of agricultural production at current prices increased by 2.1 percent to P498.61 billion.
Crops output, which accounted for 58 percent of the sector’s overall production in the first quarter, fell 1.6 percent as paddy rice harvest decreased by 1.9 percent.
Livestock output shrank 1 percent , as hog production – hit by an African swine fever outbreak – decreased by 1.2 percent.
Fisheries output registered the biggest decline at 5.8 percent.
Poultry was the only subsector to grow at 12.3 percent and accounted for 15 percent of total agricultural output.
Secretary William Dar of the Department of Agriculture in an online briefing hosted by the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines yesterday said rising prices of fertilizer contributed to the decline of crops subsector.
The fisheries subsector grossed P65.42 billion, down 2.2 percent from last year’s gross earnings for the period.
Production increases were observed for bisugo, squid, bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, seaweeds and lapu-lapu.
Declines were recorded for mudcrab, skipjack, fimbriated sardines, milkfish, tiger prawn, sapsap, alimasag, big-eyed scad, tilapia, talakitok, tulingan, alumahan, galunggong and tamban.
Crops grossed P268.13 billion, 0.9 percent lower than last year’s gross receipts.
Decreases in production were registered for palay at 1.9 percent to 4.54 million metric tons (MT) from 4.63 million MT and corn at 0.2 percent to 2.441 million MT from 2.445 million MT.
Contractions were also noted in tobacco, sugarcane, cabbage, tomato, mango, coffee, banana, cassava, calamansi, sweet potato and rubber.
However, improvements in production were recorded for cacao, onion, eggplant, coconut, pineapple, ampalaya and mongo.
Livestock grossed P89.89 billion, up 9.7 percent from last year.
Declines in production were registered for hog at 1.2 percent to 416,720 MT from 421,790 MT, cattle at 1.6 percent to 52,390 MT from 53,240 MT and goat at 7.5 percent to 15,200 MT from 16,430 MT.
Only dairy and carabao recorded increases. The gross value of its output went up by 8.8 percent to P75.17 billion at current prices.
Poultry was buoyed by chicken, chicken eggs and duck eggs production.
Dar said the DA has asked the Office of the President to provide additional fertilizer subsidy vouchers for the wet season planting, especially for rice.
“We had a record (rice) harvest last year at 19.96 million MT. To sustain that and even go beyond, we need really to give out fertilizer subsidies. Based on our studies, if we will not provide subsidies, it is possible for production level to go down and this will be a big setback,” Dar said.
He said the DA has almost P4 billion for fertilizer subsidy for the wet season but needs another P6 billion. – Jed Macapagal
