Agricultural sector down anew in Q2

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s agricultural and fisheries sector declined for the second consecutive quarter due to lower production of crops and fisheries, government data showed.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the value of production in agriculture and fisheries from April to June declined by 0.6 percent to P433.12 billion this year.

The decline is slightly higher than the 0.3 percent contraction in the first quarter, but lower than the 1.5 percent decline recorded in the same period last year.

From January to June, the agricultural output went down 0.4 percent this year, which is lower than the 2.5 percent drop registered last year.

Crops, which accounted for 54.9 percent of the total value of production, decreased by 2.7 percent. This was despite the higher value of production in palay (unhusked rice) and corn.

Reductions were recorded in sugarcane, coffee, tomato, mango, potato, cabbage, pineapple, abaca, tobacco and rubber.

Similarly, fisheries production – which accounted for 15.8 percent share of the total – contracted by 2.3 percent.

Double-digit decreases were noted in the value of production of tiger prawn (sugpo), blue crab (alimasag), frigate tuna (tulingan), mudcrab (alimango), cavalla (talakitok) and milkfish (bangus).

The decline in the fisheries sector could be attributed to the lack of nutritious feeds, Tugon Kabuhayan convenor and former Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources director Asis Perez said in a virtual briefing yesterday.

“There are reports of slow growth of fish. Nutritionists had a hard time, saying the fish they are raising are not growing. Growth of fish, particularly aquaculture saw a slowdown,” he said.

On the other hand, the livestock and poultry sector recorded increases in the value of production. Livestock contributed 14.6 percent while poultry accounted for 14.7 percent of the total.

Livestock made a turnaround and posted a 2.1 percent growth in the value of production. In particular, the value of hog production expanded by three percent.

Poultry went up by 7.8 percent as all poultry commodities, except duck, recorded increases in the value of production.