Agriculture and fisheries production dropped 1.7 percent in 2021 from the previous year, as the sector contended with livestock diseases and the devastation left by Typhoon Odette, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.
The crops subsector managed to expand 2.3 percent over the 2020 performance, with major commodities like rice, corn, sugarcane, pineapple, coconut, banana and mango contributing to the growth. The subsector grossed P1 trillion in 2021, up from PP982 billion in 2020.
Rice, the country’s staple, scored record harvest of 19.96 million metric tons, up 3.4 percent from the previous record of 19.29 million MT.
“We would have easily breached the 20-million ton level had it not Typhoon Odette damaged more than 130,000 metric tons of palay,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar.
“Nonetheless, it shows that we are on the right track in our continuing efforts to increase the production of our major staples, in partnership with millions of our farmers, fishers, livestock and poultry raisers, local government units, private sector, and agri-fishery industry stakeholders,” Dar said.
Corn production also hit a record output of 8.3 million MT in 2021, or 2.2 percent more than the 8.12 million MT yield in 2020.
Other subsectors sustained a dismal output such as livestock with 170percent production drop, and poultry output which declined 0.3 percent. The fisheries subsector grew 0.1 percent.
The livestock sector stymied by the persisting problem in the hogs subsector which continued to battle the Asian Swine Flu. Hogs production fell 20.8 percent in 2021.
“We have been relentless since we assumed office more than two years ago in August 2019 in pursuit of the Duterte administration’s food security goals. These include massive promotion among farmers, fishers, and entrepreneurs of relevant, efficient and sustainable technologies and innovations and providing them needed capacities through technical, farm mechanization and consolidation, financial and marketing assistance,” Dar said.
“Overall, we will remain focused in the implementation of our planned programs and projects in the remaining months of the Duterte administration, as we bequeath a solid foundation and legacy to the succeeding leadership,” he said.
