The country’s agriculture production went down 0.6 percent in the second quarter of the year, pulled by the crops and fisheries subsectors, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
For the first half, output recorded a 0.4 percent decline although the value of agricultural production at current prices was 6.2 percent higher at P532.79 billion from the previous year’s level.
Production growths in livestock and poultry subsectors failed to offset the drop in crops and fisheries.
Crops fell 2.8 percent during the quarter and contributed 54.9 percent to the total agricultural production. At current prices, the subsector grossed P265.98 billion, 0.1 percent less than last year’s gross receipts.
Palay production increased by 0.7 percent to 4.2 million metric tons (MMT) for the quarter compared with the previous 4.17 MMT while corn grew 3 percent to 1.48 MMT from 1.44 MMT.
Other crops such as onion, mongo, sweet potato, calamansi, coconut, ampalaya, cacao, cassava, banana and eggplant also posted growth.
However, declines in production of other high value crops such as sugarcane, coffee, tomato, mango, potato, cabbage, pineapple, abaca, tobacco and rubber pulled down the sector’s overall performance.
In the first six months of 2022, crop production decreased 2.2 percent.
The fisheries subsector declined 2.3 percent and contributed 15.8 percent to the total agricultural output. At current prices, the subsector grossed P92.59 billion, a 15.4 percent improvement compared with last year’s gross earnings for the period.
Increases in the value of production were registered for bigeye tuna, squid, fimbriated sardines, yellowfin tuna, seaweed, grouper, skipjack and big-eyed scad.
However, contractions were recorded for tiger prawn, blue crab, frigate tuna, mudcrab, talakitok, milkfish, tilapia, tamban, sapsap, bisugo, galunggong and alumahan.
In the first half of 2022, the subsector’s production went down by 3.9 percent.
Poultry posted the highest growth at 7.8 percent, accounting for 14.7 percent of total agricultural output. Its gross value of output also went up by 13.8 percent to P79.79 billion at current prices.
Production growths were observed for chicken eggs at over 10 percent to 185,580 MT from 167,930 MT; duck eggs at over 11 percent to 15,600 MT from 14,000 MT; and chicken at almost 7 percent to 463,120 MT from 433,110 MT.
However, an almost 8 percent contraction was experienced by duck as it went down to 6,290 MT from 6,810 MT.
From January to June 2022, the subsector recorded a 10 percent increase in output.
The livestock subsector with its 14.6 percent contribution to total agricultural production improved by 2.1 percent for the second quarter of 2022. At current prices, gross value of livestock production amounted to P94.43 billion, 10.7 percent higher than last year’s value.
Hog, which is the sector’s main driver, improved 3 percent to 418,400 MT from 406,070 MT while dairy went up by over 22 percent to 7,510 MT from 6,140 MT as cattle grew by 0.9 percent to 61,540 MT from 60,990 MT.
For the period, production declines were reported for goat and carabao.
In the first half of 2022, the subsector’s gross output went up by 0.6 percent.
Jose Elias Inciong, president of the United Broiler Raisers Association, said the supply of chicken has been overtaken by demand which caused a P30-per kilogram drop in farmgate prices from P120.
