(Released on August 8, 2018, by the Philippine Statistics Authority)

Agriculture increased by 0.07 percent in the second quarter of 2018.  Improvements in production were noted in the livestock and poultry subsectors. However, the crops and fisheries subsectors recorded declines in output. At current prices, the total gross earnings of combined crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries subsectors amounted to PhP 447.2 billion. This was 5.55 percent higher than the previous year’s record. From January to June 2018, agriculture recorded a 0.58 percent growth in production.

The crops subsector registered a 2.08 percent reduction in output. It accounted for 49.65 percent of the total agricultural production. Palay and corn production decreased by 1.44 percent and 3.42 percent, respectively. Increases were noted among the major crops such as coconut, banana, pineapple, mongo, tomato, garlic, eggplant and rubber. The subsector grossed PhP 241.9 billion at current prices, representing a 4.06 percent increase from the previous year’s level. In the first six (6) months of 2018, crop production decreased by 0.44 percent.

The livestock subsector grew by 1.88 percent. It shared 16.67 percent in the total agricultural output. Hog production was up by 2.81 percent. The subsector’s gross earnings at current prices amounted to PhP 79.0 billion, up by 9.85 percent from the previous year’s record. In the first half of 2018, the subsector’s gross output increased by 1.95 percent.

Production in the poultry subsector expanded by 5.14 percent. It accounted for 16.83 percent of the total agricultural output.  Except for duck, all components of the subsector registered gains in production. At current prices, the subsector grossed PhP 58.1 billion or 4.87 percenthigher than the previous year’s gross earnings. From January to June 2018, the subsector recorded a 5.19 percent growth in output.

The fisheries subsector contracted by 0.05 percent. It contributed 16.85 percent to the total agricultural production. Lower output levels were noted among milkfish, tiger prawn, roundscad and yellowfin tuna, while tilapia, skipjack and seaweed posted output gains. The subsector’s gross value of production at current prices amounted to PhP 68.2 billion or 6.70 percent more than the 2017 record.  In the first half of 2018, the subsector’s production dropped by 2.14 percent.

On the average, prices received by farmers increased by 5.48 percent. Price uptrends were noted in crops at 6.27 percent, livestock at 7.83 percent and fisheries at 6.75 percent. Meanwhile, the poultry subsector recorded an average price drop of 0.25 percent.  From January to June 2018, farmgate prices went up by an average of 6.39 percent.

(Photo by Jeffrey Mark Placio of Pangasinan)