PH agri growth flat in Q1 — PSA

The Philippine agriculture sector posted flat growth in the first quarter of the year to mark the second straight month of expansions, data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday showed.

Data showed that the value of production in agriculture and fisheries at constant 2018 prices grew by 0.05% in the first quarter of the year, following the 0.9% expansion in the fourth quarter of 2023, and the 2.1% growth in the first quarter of last year.

Crops — which accounted for 57.6% of the total production value — contracted by 0.3%, with the biggest drops seen in sweet potato (-9.0%), cassava (-8.9%), mongo (-6.4%), banana (-4.5%), and ampalaya (-4.0%), while production of palay or unmilled rice fell by 2.0%.

On the other hand, the biggest increases in crops were recorded in onion by 28.6%, coffee by 25.2%, and sugarcane by 17.2%.

Fisheries, which accounted for 12.5% to the total value, recorded a total value of P53.73 billion during the quarter to reflect a 1.3% annual decline.

The biggest declines were in threadfin bream or bisugo down 37.2%, mudcrab or alimango down 33.2%, bali sardinella or tamban down 29.9%, blue crab or alimasag down 29.5%, and grouper or lapu-lapu down by 27.1%.

Livestock production was recorded at P59.46 billion, translating to a 3.6% decline and accounting for 13.9% of the total value. This comes as drops were seen in hog and goat production, which offset the increases in production of cattle, carabao, and dairy.

Poultry was the only subsector that posted growth during the period, up 5.9% to P68.75 billion and contributing 16.0% to the total value after all commodities saw an expansion except for duck eggs that fell by 4.3%.

In a separate statement, Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the latest figures reflect the impact of the El Niño, which he said is now being addressed by the government.

“The impact of reduced rainfall and hotter temperatures were evident in lower crops and fisheries production in the first quarter,” he said.

“If El Niño will persist through the second quarter, we’re cautiously optimistic that the interventions we have taken will allow the agriculture sector to mend and return better results between April and June,” he added.

Data released by the Department of Agriculture (DA) last week showed that the El Niño phenomenon has already caused P5.9-billion in damage to agriculture. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News