PHILIPPINES' FARM, FISHERIES PRODUCTION DECLINED BY 3.7% IN THIRD QUARTER

Country's farm and fisheries production value went down due to the adverse weather and the lingering impact of ASF (Photo courtesy of DVMF/Philippine Star)

Due to adverse weather and the lingering impact of African Swine Fever, the country's farm and fisheries production value went down by 3.7% year-on-year to P397.43 billion during the third quarter, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

In a statement, the DA said that the ASF affected the hog production took a toll on agricultural output. The fisheries subsector also suffered from the adverse weather, with its value of production contracting by 5.5 percent year-on-year to P55.48 billion in the third quarter.

PSA data revealed that the value of palay production in the third quarter dropped by 12.3 percent year-on-year, which contributed to a 5.1 percent decline in overall crop output, totaling P211.62 billion.

Meanwhile, hog production - a major contributor to the livestock subsector - declined by 8 percent, according to PSA data. Crops accounted for 53 percent of the total value of production, while livestock contributed around 16 percent. The value of livestock output fell by 6.7 percent to ₱61.67 billion.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said, “Undeniably, the combined effects of El Niño and La Niña weighed down palay production, a major contributor to the crop sector, which accounts for more than half of the value of agricultural and fisheries output.”

“We’re implementing changes to the rice cropping calendar and building infrastructure like water impounding dams to mitigate the impact of climate change on the farming sector,” he added.

The DA chief pointed to some bright spots in the third-quarter data, including a 1.3 percent increase in the value of corn production and a 5.8 percent rise in poultry output. The value of poultry production reached ₱68.66 billion during the quarter. 

It also highlighted efforts by the Bureau of Animal Industry, in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, to develop an effective vaccine for African Swine Fever (ASF) - a disease that has devastated the hog industry since the first outbreak in 2019.

Source: GMA Integrated News 

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