Agri growth slows to 0.67% in Jan-March
Credit to Author: EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ| Date: Wed, 08 May 2019 16:16:50 +0000
PHILIPPINE agriculture output grew by 0.67 percent in the first three months of 2019, slower than the 1.08 percent growth in the same period last year, the government reported on Wednesday.
The decline in volume of production was seen in the crop subsector, the Philippine Statistics Authority said, noting production increases in the livestock, poultry and fisheries subsectors.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said the growth decline in the crops subsector for the first three months of 2019 had been expected due to El Niño and as harvest was just starting.
“The sector will recover in the second quarter because of increased harvest in 3 regions which surpassed damage to rice crops by about 200,000 MT (metric tons),” Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol told The Manila Times.
“Livestock and poultry will continue to pull up agriculture performance especially with ASF (African swine fever) threat causing spikes in pork prices worldwide,” he added.
Total value of farm produce based on current prices likewise posted its first decline since 2016, reaching P429.7 billion from last year’s P444 billion.
The crops sub-sector, which comprised the bulk of agriculture output at 52.71 percent of the total, contracted by 1.01 percent from 1.10 percent a year earlier. Palay and corn production growth fell by 4.46 percent and 2.07 percent, respectively, from 4.61 percent and 4.66 percent a year earlier.
Livestock production, accounting for 17.11 percent of the total output, grew by 1.25 percent, a reversal from last year’s 2-percent growth. This sector’s acceleration in the first quarter was driven by higher outputs for cattle, hog and dairy.
Poultry remained the subsector to top last year’s results, increasing by 5.41 percent as against the 5.24 percent in January-March 2018. It accounted for 16.74 percent of total output driven by 4.34-percent and 8.78-percent improvements on chicken and chicken egg production, respectively.
The fisheries subsector, which accounted for 13.45 percent of total farm output, went up by 0.97 percent, but significantly lower than the 2-percent growth forecast set by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR). The growth was also a reversal from last year’s 4.58-percent negative growth and 1.93-percent expansion in the last quarter of 2018. Declines were noted in milkfish, tilapia, tiger prawn, yellowfin tuna and seaweed production.
In value terms, the crops, livestock and poultry sub-sectors grossed P235.4 billion, P75.4 billion, and P55.4 billion, respectively, all were contractions from last year based on current prices. The gross value of fisheries output reached P63.5 billion, a 7.81-percent increase from P58.8 billion a year ago.
Meanwhile, farmgate prices dropped by 3.76 percent from January to March, with decrements recorded across all sub-sectors, except fisheries, PSA said.
For this year, the DA is aiming for the country’s agricultural growth of as high as 3.5 percent as it expects subsectors to bounce back. In 2018, the agency set a 4-percent growth target but fell short at 1.04 percent.
Farm output accounted for about a tenth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in recent years. The government will release its first-quarter GDP data today.
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