Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. —JORDEENE B. LAGARE
MANILA, Philippines — The country’s agricultural production picked up pace in the second quarter, driven by higher crops and poultry output, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
In a report released on Wednesday, the PSA said the value of production in agriculture and fisheries totaled P437.53 billion in the second quarter, up 5.7 percent from the same period a year ago.
The latest reading marked a turnaround from the 3.2-percent contraction recorded in the second quarter of 2024 and an improvement from the 2-percent annual growth posted in the first quarter of this year.
The farm sector has sustained gains for the second straight quarter.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the farm production growth in the first two quarters was “a clear indication that we are on the right track.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Tiu Laurel said the “strong growth” reflected the effectiveness of government interventions and affirmed the policies and direction for long-term development set by the Department of Agriculture.
Tiu Laurel said, “Ongoing reforms—including changes to the Rice Tariffication Law, disease control programs and investments in infrastructure, logistics and R&D (research and development)—are essential to sustain growth.”
READ: Rice Tariffication Law amendment to temper rice prices
Favorable weather
Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. president Danilo Fausto said the relatively favorable weather conditions and the government’s support for postharvest facilities had bolstered the sector’s overall performance in the second quarter.
Among the subsectors, crops registered the biggest growth of 11.3 percent, delivering an output of P244.9 billion, with palay and corn posting double-digit growth. Crops contributed 56 percent to the overall production value.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said improved weather conditions and different government interventions contributed to the recovery of crops following the 1-million-ton palay output reduction suffered by the country in 2024 due to extreme weather conditions.
Poultry output climbed by 7 percent to P75.07 billion, accounting for a 17.2-percent share. The PSA also noted improvements in chicken and chicken eggs.
However, livestock output fell by 5.9 percent to P59.60 billion, with hog production sliding by 7.5 percent.
Rolando Tambago, vice chair of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines Inc., said that low confidence of hog raisers to invest in repopulation, not the actual African swine fever (ASF) cases in the country, impeded the industry.
READ: DA unveils P1-B swine repopulation program
“More so that farm-gate price now is nearing [just] break-even—so it will further impact negatively on succeeding quarters output,” Tambago said in a Viber message.
Alfred Ng, vice chair of the National Federation of Hog Farmers, is hoping for turnaround in the next two quarters.
Fausto said both livestock and poultry sectors “are beginning to “manage and be resilient against ASF and avian [influenza] virus.”
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