Q3 growth unaffected by bird flu outbreak

MANILA, Philippines - The prevailing case of bird flu among poultry farms in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija will not likely drag down growth in the third quarter of the year, according to Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia. 

While there is still no formal impact assessment done on employment and livelihood in affected areas, Pernia said the outbreak of the disease would not have a strong impact on domestic economic output in the current quarter. 

“It (bird flu) is in the agriculture sector.which has a very small contribution to GDP. So in that context, it’s not going to be a major GDP changer. It’s going to be minimal,” he said. 

 “And Secretary Pinol has also said they are already loosening up on the control of the disease,” he said. 

Pernia was referring to the partial lifting of the ban on the transport and shipment of poultry and poultry products nationwide. 

Last week, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol signed an administrative order lifting the ban following assurances from biosecurity experts that transporting poultry products from Luzon to other parts of the country is now safe.

The ban, however, stays for poultry products from avian flu “ground zero” in San Luis in Pampanga, and from Jaen and San Isidro in Nueva Ecija.

The ban, first imposed last Aug. 11, was a precautionary measure to contain the virus and prevent it from infecting humans. The country’s first avian flu case was reported in San Luis in Pampanga.

Last Thursday, however, the Department of Agriculture warned, the bird flu virus could be passed on to humans but assured the public that the transmission rate is “very low.” Transmission from animals to humans can be through direct contact, either by respiratory secretion or fecal materials.

DA has said it would take 84 more days before the country can be declared bird flu free, as the process will include disinfection, rest period, restocking and cleaning in the next months.

The farm sector grew stronger that expected at 6.3 percent in the  second quarter —from 4.9 percent in the first quarter and negative  two percent in the second quarter of 2016—also gave the GDP growth a boost. Pernia attributed this to the sustained recovery of the sector from the onslaught of the El Niño phenomenon.