The country’s chicken production rose by four percent year-on-year to a new all-time high of nearly 590,000 metric tons (MT) in the second quarter of 2026, driven by higher output across key producing regions, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a quarterly bulletin published last week, the PSA said chicken output from April to June reached 586,181 MT on a liveweight basis, higher than the 563,038 MT recorded in the same period last year.

The latest chicken production figure is the highest second-quarter output recorded by the PSA since 1997. The previous record was 563,038 MT, recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

Central Luzon was the country’s top producer of chicken during the three-month period, with a total of 193,724 MT, or 33 percent of total volume.

This was followed by Calabarzon with 123,635 MT, Northern Mindanao at 41,568 MT, Soccsksargen at 31,363 MT, and Central Visayas at 30,664 MT.

“Relative to their outputs in the same quarter of 2025, nine regions reported increases in their production during the reference quarter,” the PSA said.

PSA data showed that Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) registered the largest drop in the second quarter, with production declining by nearly 24 percent to 1,411 MT from 1,848 MT.

Of all the chicken produced in the second quarter, broiler chicken accounted for 514,496 MT, or 87.8 percent of total.

Native or improved chicken had a share of 10.6 percent, with a production volume of 61,900 MT, while output of culled layer chicken stood at 8,286 MT for a share of 1.4 percent.

The country’s total chicken inventory by the end of the first half increased by 7.4 percent to 228.49 million birds from 212.83 million birds a year ago.

The PSA said native or improved chicken accounted for 35.2 percent of the country’s chicken inventory at 80.36 million birds. Broiler chicken was close behind at 34.9 percent, covering 79.77 million birds.

Culled layer chicken followed with a share of 25.8 percent at 58.96 million birds, while gamefowl stood at 4.1 percent at 9.4 million birds.

Based on PSA data, the average farmgate price of broiler chicken was ₱116.38 per kilo in the second quarter, down by 8.1 percent from ₱126.63 per kilo in the same period last year.

Meanwhile, chicken egg production from April to June rose by 13 percent to 235,152 MT from 207,755 MT last year.

As of June 30, the country’s chicken laying flock was estimated at 80.53 million birds, a 7.3-percent increase from 75.07 million birds a year ago.

“The average farmgate price of chicken egg was quoted at ₱6.30 per piece this [second] quarter, which was 7.9 percent lower than the previous year’s same quarter average farmgate price of ₱6.84 per piece,” the PSA said.