Farm and fishery production barely grew 0.04 percent in the third quarter, still an improvement from the 2.9-percent contraction a year ago, as the growth in livestock, poultry and fisheries sectors made up for the decline in crop production, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Friday.
The figure brought the average growth of the agriculture sector in the first three quarters to 0.65 percent, faster than the 0.33-percent expansion registered in the same period last year. Agriculture accounts for around 14 percent of the gross domestic product of the Philippines.
Data from PSA showed total value of agriculture production in the third quarter reached P335.9 billion at current prices, lower by 3.23 percent than P347.2 billion in 2014, mainly because of the drop in farmgate prices.
The crops subsector, which accounted for almost half of the total production, declined 4.84 percent in the third quarter, because of the impact of the El Niño dry spell on palay (unmilled rice) and corn production.
Palay production shrank 15.7 percent in the third quarter to 2.6 million metric tons from 3.02 million MT a year ago.
“Significant reductions were noted in the volume of production, harvest areas and yield as a result of unrealized plantings due to inadequate irrigation water, late occurrence of rains and some areas being left in-fallow,” said PSA.
Typhoons Egay and Ineng also damaged farms in Cordillera, Cagayan Valley and Western Visayas.
Corn production dropped 1.7 percent in the third quarter to 2.4 million MT from 2.44 million MT in the third quarter of 2014.
The drop in corn production was due to the insufficient water supply in Bicol region, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Davao region and Caraga.
Coconut production went down by 0.25 percent from 3.94 million MT in the third quarter last year to 3.93 million MT in the third quarter this year, as most of the coconut producing provinces was affected by typhoon Ruby.
Sugarcane production plummeted 41.81 percent to 893,000 MT in the third quarter from 1.53 million MT last year due to the dry spell that affected Negros Oriental province, the main sugar production area.
Meanwhile, the livestock sector grew 3.25 percent in the third quarter this year, on good production of carabao, cattle and hog. The poultry sector increased 8.76 percent in the third quarter, on high production of chicken and duck.
The fishery sector grew 1.80 percent in the third quarter, supported by increased production of milkfish, tilapia and tiger prawn.