President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s administration’s initiatives to modernize agriculture and support farmers and fishermen contributed to the growth of the farm and fishery sector in the first quarter, despite challenges posed by El Niño and increased input costs.

The value of production in agriculture and fisheries, based on constant 2018 prices, rose in the January-March quarter by 0.05 percent to P428.99 billion due mainly on the strong performance of the poultry subsector. 

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the value of poultry production rose by 5.9 percent in the first quarter to P68.76 billion, helping balance the contraction in value of crops, fish, and livestock produced during the quarter. The increases were seen in the production of chicken, chicken eggs, and ducks. 

“Interventions and assistance provided by the government allowed the agriculture sector to fare better this time compared to periods in the past when we had El Niño,” said Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. 

“The impact of reduced rainfall and hotter temperatures were evident in lower crops and fisheries production in the first quarter. If El Nino will persist through the second quarter, we’re cautiously optimistic that the interventions we have taken will allow the agriculture sector to mend and return better results between April and June,” he added. 

Despite the 0.3 percent decrease in crop production, which represented nearly 57.6 percent or P247.04 billion of total agricultural output, and a 1.3 percent decline in fisheries production to PhP 53.73 billion, corn production increased by 0.5 percent during the quarter.

Farming and fishery provide millions of jobs for Filipinos and is the centerpiece of the government’s program to ensure the country’s food security and keep inflation in check. ###