Philippines misses 2024 agri output target

The Philippine agriculture sector posted a decline in production in the last three months of 2024 to bring the full-year figure below the government target, data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Tuesday showed.

PSA data shows that the value of agriculture and fisheries output declined by 2.2% in the fourth quarter of the past year, following the 3.6% contraction in the third quarter, the 3.2% drop in the second quarter, and the 0.2% expansion in the first quarter.

Crops, which accounted for 58.2% of the total production value, contracted by 3.1%. The biggest cuts were seen in the production of mongo down 48.2%, tobacco by 25.6%, sugarcane by 23.5%, and onion by 11.1%.

"This is one of the biggest na losses na naitala sa sector. If my memory serves me right. Ang primary reason dito of course, yung damages natin. Yung damage na reported sa atin ay El Niño, yung series ng typhoons, La Niña, of course, yung iba pa, plant, pest and diseases, yung mga volcanic eruption, and other weather systems," Agriculture spokesperson Arnel de Mesa explained.

[This is one of the biggest losses registered in the sector, if my memory serves me right. The primary reason here is, of course, the damage incurred due to El Niño, series of typhoons, La Niña, plant, pest and diseases, volcanic eruption and other weather systems.]

The value of palay or unmilled rice produced for the year declined by 5.0%. The Department of Agriculture (DA) earlier set a target production of 20.44 million metric tons (MT) of unmilled rice for 2024.

Fisheries, which accounted for 12.9% of production, declined by 2.1%. Double-digit drops were recorded in mudcrab (alimango) down 28.9%, cavalla (talakitok) by 24.9%, big-eyed scad (matangbaka) by 20.6%, Indian mackerel (alumahan) by 20.0%, among others.

Livestock, which fell by 6.2%, accounted for 14.0% of total production. Contractions were seen in the production of hog (-7.3%), goat (-4.1%), and cattle (-2.7%). Production of carabao grew by 1.8%, and dairy by 4.8%.

Accounting for 12.9% of total production, poultry was the sole subsector that posted growth in the quarter with 6.1%. Production of chicken expanded by 5.0%, chicken eggs by 9.8%, and duck by 0.3%. The production of duck eggs declined by 3.1%.

This brought the full-year 2024 agriculture and fisheries output down by 2.2%, below the DA’s target growth range of 1.0% to 2.0%, following the 0.4% expansion in 2023.

The agency has yet to release a statement regarding the latest report, but earlier noted the impact of extreme weather conditions such as El Niño, La Niña, and a series of typhoons.

For this year, the DA has set a record rice harvest of 20.46 million metric tons, and aims to improve logistics for perishable goods like vegetables and fruits.

 "Ngayon wala namang major calamities pa tayo except yung mga konti lang. Doon pa lang sa rice alone, again, na ang contribution niya more than 50% sa overall agri-sector, Kung makarecover ng ganun kalaki si rice, definitely mahihila nya yong kabuuan ng sector," De Mesa said in expressing optimism this year.

[At present, we have no major calamities, only a few. In rice alone, it contributed 50% overall in the agri sector. If rice [production] recovers, definitely it will pull the whole sector.]

“We achieved significant progress in 2024 but 2025 demands bigger goals and stronger resolve,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement last Tuesday, January 21, 2025. — with Bernadette Reyes/RSJ, GMA Integrated News