PH Agri Output Recovers 2.9% in Q2

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine agricultural output rebounded in the second quarter after an early-year slowdown, growing by 2.9 percent to P452.22 billion as production increased across crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. In a report on Thursday, the PSA said the value of agriculture and fisheries production rose to P452.22 billion in the April-to-June period from P439.66 billion a year earlier. Such an expansion marked a turnaround from the 0.3-percent contraction recorded in the first quarter, when production was valued at P437.52 billion. Crop production, which accounted for 55 percent of the sector’s total output, increased 1.6 percent to P248.9 billion. Palay or unmilled rice remained the main growth driver, with the value of production rising 5.7 percent while corn posted a modest 0.8-percent increase. Livestock production expanded 3.6 percent to P61.83 billion, accounting for 13.7 percent of total farm output during the April-to-June period. The value of hog production alone increased 5.6 percent from a year earlier. Poultry emerged as the fastest-growing sub-sector, with the output value climbing 6.3 percent to P79.84 billion. It accounted for 17.7 percent of total agricultural production during the quarter. Meanwhile, fisheries production grew 2.7 percent to P61.64 billion, representing 13.6 percent of the sector’s total output. INQ