The Department of Agriculture (DA) has recorded a decline in agricultural output for the third quarter of this year, with a 3.7 percent decline recorded on value production.
DA Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. attributed the decline to the adverse effects of the weather disturbances and the lingering impact of African Swine Fever (ASF) on hog production.
According to Laurel, the value of production declined by 3.7 percent year-on-year to P397.43 billion while the fisheries sub sector also suffered from the adverse weather, with its value of production contracting by 5.5 percent year-on-year to P55.48 billion in the third quarter.
“Undeniably, the combined effects of El Niño and La Niña weighed down palay production, a major contributor to the crop sector, which accounts for more than half of the value of agricultural and fisheries output,” said Laurel.
“We’re implementing changes to the rice cropping calendar and building infrastructure like water impounding dams to mitigate the impact of climate change on the farming sector,” he added.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that palay production in the third quarter dropped by 12.3 percent year-on-year, which contributed to a 5.1 percent decline in overall crop output, totaling P211.62 billion. Meanwhile, hog production—a major contributor to the livestock subsector—declined by 8 percent.
Crops accounted for 53 percent of the total value of production, while livestock contributed around 16 percent. The value of livestock output fell by 6.7 percent to ₱61.67 billion,
But Laurel pointed to some bright spots in the third-quarter data, including a 1.3 percent increase in the value of corn production and a 5.8 percent rise in poultry output.
The value of poultry production, according to him, reached ₱68.66 billion during the quarter.
The DA chief also highlighted efforts by the Bureau of Animal Industry, in cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration, to develop an effective vaccine for African Swine Fever (ASF)—a disease that has devastated the hog industry since the first outbreak in 2019.