THE sustained expansion of the livestock, poultry and fisheries subsectors was not enough to offset the lackluster performance of the crops subsector as farm production contracted by 0.24 percent year-on-year in the first half.
Figures released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Wednesday indicated that agricultural production in the second quarter fell by an annualized rate of 1.27 percent. Farm output in the same period last year inched up by 0.12 percent.
The 5.7-percent drop in crops output caused by El Niño pulled down total agricultural production in the April-to-June period, according to the PSA. The crops subsector, which accounted for 47.42 percent of total farm production, contracted by 3.16 percent in the first half.
Acting Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar said he expected better numbers considering the presence of a number of factors, which he did not elaborate on.
Dar, who replaced Emmanuel F. Piñol on Monday, said the Department of Agriculture (DA) needs to work double time to improve farm productivity.
He said he is targeting to expand output by 1.5 percent in the July-to-December period and by 3 percent to 4 percent in the next three years.
“We have to exert more effort in implementing the strategies I have outlined in terms of development framework and programs,” Dar told reporters in an interview in Quezon City on Wednesday.
“And even the existing projects need strengthening and reorientation in order to improve the sector,” he added.
Data from the PSA indicated that unhusked rice production in the first half shrank by an annualized rate of 5.09 percent to 8.269 million metric tons while corn output fell by 4.33 percent year-on-year to 3.597 MMT.
The contraction in the production of the country’s two most important crops was traced to the adverse effects of El Niño, which dried up Philippine farms during the six-month period, the PSA said.
“There were reductions in the harvested areas in Mimaropa region, Bicol region and Western Visayas due to inadequate water supply/rainfall during the planting months in the first quarter of 2019,” the PSA said.
“Moreover, harvestable palay was adversely affected by the dry spell that brought down production in the above-cited regions,” it added.
Among the three subsectors that posted output increases, poultry recorded the fastest growth at 4.73 percent in the first half, PSA data showed.
“Poultry production went up by 4.14 percent and it accounted for 17.75 percent of the total agricultural output in the second quarter of 2019,” the PSA said.
Livestock production, which accounts for 14.71 percent of total farm output, grew 2.24 percent in the first half on the back of higher hog and dairy output.
PSA data also indicated that fisheries output rose by 1.51 percent in the January-to-June period due to higher production of yellow fin tuna, round-scad, tiger prawn and tilapia, PSA said. The subsector accounted for 17.41 percent of total farm production.