THE Philippines’s farm output grew at a 1.8 percent annual rate from July through September, snapping two straight quarters of contraction.
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the growth was driven by higher value of crops, livestock and poultry production during the three-month period, offsetting decline in fisheries production.
The increase in output came on the heels of two consecutive contractions in agricultural production: -0.3 percent in the first quarter and -0.6 percent in the second quarter.
The value of the country’s agricultural output in the third quarter, at constant 2018 prices, reached P414.266 billion, P7.355 billion higher than the P406.911 billion recorded amount in the same period of last year.
The value of crops output, which accounted for nearly 54 percent of total agricultural production, rose by 1.8 percent year-on-year to P223.483 billion, driven by higher value of palay and corn.
“Increases in the value of palay and corn production were recorded at 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively,” the PSA said in its quarterly report published on Wednesday.
Palay production in the third quarter reached 3.788 million metric tons (MMT), 35,880 MT higher than the 3.752 MMT recorded in the same period of last year.
Meanwhile, corn output rose to 2.349 MMT from last year’s 2.292 MMT.
Historical PSA data showed that livestock production rose by 4 percent on an annual basis in the third quarter, making it the highest growth of the sector rate in the past 23 quarters.
PSA data also showed this was the highest growth rate recorded by the livestock sector since the African swine fever ravaged hog farms in 2019.
The value of livestock production in the third quarter was estimated at P64.514 billion versus the P62.047 billion recorded in the same period of last year.
Hog production value, which accounted for 82 percent of livestock output, reached nearly P53 billion from last year’s P50.667 billion, according to PSA.
The hog sector posted a 4.5-percent year-on-year growth, the highest in the past 24 quarters, based on historical PSA data.
In terms of volume, hog output was estimated at 436,680 MT from 418,070 MT in the third quarter of last year.
The poultry sector, meanwhile, registered P63.060 billion worth of output, 6.41 percent over the P59.26 billion recorded in the third quarter of last year.
Fisheries production declined by 4.2 percent year-on-year to P63.2190 billion, according to the PSA report.
The PSA said agricultural output from January to September increased by 0.3 percent on an annual basis to P1.267 trillion.