Crops, fisheries pull down H1 farm output value

THE value of the country’s agricultural output in the first half contracted by 0.4 percent, mainly due to the anemic performance of the crops and fish-eries subsectors.

Data released by the Philip-pine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the value of farm output in January to June (at constant 2018 prices) reached P853.087 billion, lower than last year’s P856.66 billion.

The value of crops produced in the first half fell by 2.2 percent, while that of fisheries declined by 3.9 percent. Palay fell by 2.2 percent, while corn recorded a 0.6-percent contraction during the period.

The output of coconut, man-go, sugarcane, pineapple, coffee and tobacco also recorded lower values.

The poultry subsector buoyed the farm sector during the period as the value of its output rose by 10 percent. The value of chicken and chicken eggs production went up by 9.9 percent and 11.5 percent, respectively.

The livestock subsector, led by dairy, also inched up by 0.6 percent.

In terms of volume, the coun-try’s unmilled rice production con-tracted by 0.63 percent to 8.743 million metric tons (MMT) in January to June, from last year’s 8.799 MMT. Corn output, however, rose by 1.1 percent year-on-year to 3.926 MMT. Palay and corn account for the bulk of the crops subsector’s output.

PSA data also showed the out-put of the hog sector inched up by nearly 1 percent to 835,130 metric tons (MT), from last year’s 827,860 MT. Chicken output also went up by 9.8 percent year-on-year to 918,150 MT.

The output of the fisheries sub-sector was buoyed by yellowfin tuna, big-eye tuna, grouper, squid, and bisugo or threadfin bream.

Q2 performance

IN the second quarter alone, the val-ue of production in agriculture and fisheries at constant 2018 prices fell by 0.6 percent. Crops and fisheries pulled down the performance of the sector in April to June.

“Lower second-quarter growth is to be expected and is normal,” Monetary Board mem-ber Bruce J. Tolentino told the Business Mirror.

“Do note that first, agriculture grows seasonally, and the results emerge around March-April and September-October of each year, particularly because rice continues to be the Philippines’s largest crop,” he added.

Tolentino expressed concern, though, over the “unusual” in-crease in the price of urea due to the Ukraine war, which has caused farmers to reduce application rates. This, he said, could result in lower yields.

PSA said crops, which accounted for 54.9 percent in the total value of production in agriculture and fisheries, declined by 2.8 percent. Higher value of production in palay and corn were recorded at 0.7 percent and 3.3 percent, respectively.

Livestock, with a 14.6-percent contribution to the total value of production in agriculture and fisheries, made a turnaround and posted a 2.1-percent growth in the value of production this period. In particular, the value of hog production expanded by 3 percent.

Poultry, which accounted for 14.7 percent of the total value of production in agriculture and fisheries, went up by 7.8 percent. All poultry commodities, except duck, recorded increases in the value of production.

The value of fisheries production contracted by 2.3 percent. Doubledigit

decreases were noted in the value of production of the following species: tiger prawn (sugpo), blue crab (alimasag), frigate tuna (tulingan), mudcrab (alimango), cavalla (talakitok), and milkfish (bangus).

In terms of volume, unmilled rice production inched up by 0.7 percent year-on-year to 4.202 MMT. Corn production, meanwhile, went up by 3.3 percent to 1.484 MMT, from 1.437 MMT recorded a year ago.

The country also produced 418,400 MT of hogs in April to June, up 3 percent from last year’s 406,070 MT while chicken production went up by 6.9 percent yearon-year to 463,120 MT.

At current prices, the value of production in agriculture and fisheries, which amounted to P532.79 billion, grew by 6.2 percent in the second quarter.