By means of Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson, Reporter
Agricultural production in the Philippines fell 3.7% in the third quarter, the sharpest decline in almost four years, the statistical authority said on Wednesday.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows the value of agricultural production FFood prices at constant 2018 prices fell 3.7% to P397.43 billion from July to September. This was worse than the 0.2% decline in the same period a year ago.
This was also the largest decline in agricultural production since the 3.8% contraction in the fourth quarter of 2020.
In the FIn the first nine months, agricultural production shrank by 2.2%, a reversal of the 0.2% growth a year earlier.
“This was attributed to the decline in the value of crops, livestock and fisheries production,” the PSA said.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said in a statement that lower agricultural production was due to adverse weather conditions and the lingering impact of African Swine Fever (ASF).
Broken down, crop production fell 5.1% in the quarter ending September, a worsening from the 0.2% decline a year earlier. Crops accounted for more than half or 53.2% of total agricultural production.
In the January-September period, the value of crop production fell by 4.6%, reversing the 0.9% increase a year earlier.
“It is undeniable that the combined effects of El Niño and La Niña have negatively impacted palay production, which is a major contributor to the crop sector, which accounts for more than half of the value of agriculture and fisheries production,” said Secretary of Agriculture Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. . said.
Palay (unmilled rice) production mainly contributed to this decline, declining 12.3% in the third quarter.
PSA data showed that sugarcane plummeted 83.8% from July to September. There was also lower production in the mango sector (-11.2%). ampalaya (-5.6%), rubber (-4.6%), cassava (-3.9%), banana (-1.1%), pineapple (-0.4%) and coconut (-0.1 %).
“On the other hand, the value of corn production was 1.3% higher than the same quarter level last year,” it added.
Meanwhile, livestock farming, which made up 15.5% of the total, fell 6.7% in the third quarter. This was a reversal from the 2.5% growth a year ago.
The value of livestock production fell 3.5% in the first nine months, down from 2.4% growth the year before.
This came as pork production fell 8% in the third quarter, reversing the 3.3% growth a year ago.
“There were also more livestock affected by the ASF this third quarter compared to the year-ago quarter,” Jayson H. Cainglet, executive director of Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura, said in mixed English and Filipino.
The latest bulletin from the Bureau of Animal Industry shows that as of October 18, there are active cases of ASF in 108 municipalities in 25 provinces.
There was also a decrease in production value for goats (-4.1%) and carabao (0.5%). In contrast, higher production was seen for dairy (6%) and livestock (0.9%).
In the meantime, FIrish output fell 5.5% in the third quarter, but improved from the 6.1% contraction in the same period in 2023.
Fishing accounted for 14% of total agricultural sector production this quarter.
In the nine month period the value of FIrish output fell 0.9%, an improvement on the 7% contraction a year ago.
Double-digit declines were recorded for grouper or grouper lapu-lapu (-31.9%), large-eyed scad or matangbaka (-23%), Fsoaked sardines or tunsoy (-18.9%), Indian mackerel or alumahan (-18.8%); yellowfin tuna or tambakol (-18.6%), round scad or galunggong (-17.2%), tiger shrimp or suggest (-16.7%), mud crab or Alimango (-14.8%), slipmouth or juicejuice (-14.7%); And squid or pusit (-11.9%).
Production also fell for frigate tuna or tulingan (-7.5%), milkFis or bangus (-6.9%), Bali Sardinella or tamban (-6.7%), cavalla or talakitok (-4.6%), tilapia (-4.2%) and seaweed (-1.5%).
“The Fisheries subsector also suFcaused by the bad weather,” the Ministry of Agriculture said.
Mr Cainglet said there were more typhoons this year than last year.
In the third quarter, the country was hit by a number of storms and typhoons, causing significant agricultural damage.
These include the combined effects of the southwest monsoon and Typhoon Carina (P4.73 billion), severe tropical storm Enteng (P3.77 billion), and the combined effects of the enhanced southwest monsoon and tropical cyclones Ferdie, Gener and Helen (P1 .09 billion), according to DA estimates.
LONELY BRIGHT PLACE
Meanwhile, the poultry sector was the only sector to post a profit in the third quarter. Poultry production grew by 5.8%, faster than the 2.9% in the same period a year ago.
Poultry production grew by 6.8% in the January-September period, compared to 2.5% a year earlier. It accounted for 17.3% of the total value of agricultural production.
Growth was observed in chicken eggs (6.6%) and chicken (6%), while decreases were observed in duck eggs (-5.7%) and duck eggs (-3.2%).
Raul Q. Montemayor, national manager of the Federation of Free Farmers, said the contraction in overall agricultural production was also due to the sector’s vulnerability to shocks.
“Although we can point to weather changes and animal diseases as the cause of the decline in production, this is also the caseFhighlights the sector’s low level of resilience and vulnerability to external forces,” he said.
“The drop in production was mainly due to a drop in volume, which could not be remediedFcaused a general increase in prices,” he added.
Mr Cainglet said on-farm prices of palay and pig have remained low due to over-imports and reduced tariffs.Ffs. “Even the farm price for chicken is below production costs, despite the growth. The farm price for chicken is P90 per kilo,” he added.
The executive order lowers the fareFfs on rice imports up to 15% until 2028 cost eFfect in July.
Mr Tiu Laurel said the government is working on measures to support the sector, such as continuing to develop a vaccine against ASF.
“We are implementing changes in the rice farming calendar and building infrastructure such as water dams to mitigate the impact of climate change on the agricultural sector,” he added.
The DA is targeting agricultural growth of 1-2% this year.
The agricultural sector typically accounts for about one-tenth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). It also provides about a quarter of all jobs.
The PSA will release third quarter GDP data today (7 November).