AGRICULTURE STILL MANAGES TO GROW IN Q3 DESPITE ROUGH WEATHER

The Department of Agriculture said today, production in the poultry subsector expanded by 8.76 percent, as agriculture still managed to grow by 0.04 percent in the third quarter of 2015 despite harsh weather.

Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said production of chicken grew by 8.77 percent and chicken eggs, by 9.91 percent.

“Gross value amounted to P47.4 billion at current prices, up by 2.59 percent this year. Poultry’s gross value in the first nine months of the year increased by 6.32 percent,” Alcala said.

The subsector contributed 17.23 percent to the agricultural gross output.

From January to September 2015, agriculture grew by 0.65 percent. However, gross value of production in agriculture amounted to P336 billion at current prices, 3.23 percent lower than last year’s value.

Meanwhile, the livestock subsector, which shared 18.45 percent in total agricultural production, grew by 3.25 percent.
All components posted increases, with hog as the major contributor growing at 3.76 percent.
Gross value of production amounted to P58.5 billion at current prices, 0.74 percent higher from last year. The growth of the subsector was 3.92 percent in the first three quarters of the year.

Fisheries grew by 1.80 percent. It contributed 19.78 to total production. Production increments were recorded for milkfish, tilapia, tiger prawn, skipjack, yellowfin tuna and seaweed.

At current prices, the subsector grossed P57.7 billion, representing a 4.18 percent improvement from the same period last year, but gross value of production from January to September this year dropped by 0.36 percent.

Average farmgate prices plunged by 3.27 percent during the quarter. Prices were notably lower for crops, livestock and poultry subsectors. Prices of fishery products however went up by 2.33 percent this year.

For the past nine months, prices were down by 4.27 percent from 2014 levels.

The crops subsector, which contributed 44.54 percent to the total agricultural production registered a 4.86 drop for the reference period.

Though production improvements were observed in banana, pineapple, mango, abaca, cassava, camote, eggplant and calamansi, palay and corn production were heavily affected by hot weather and typhoons.

At current prices, the subsector reached P172.4 billion decreasing by 8.09 percent from the previous year’s levels. Gross value dropped by 1.69 percent in the first three quarters of the year. # Source - (Ian Go, DA-OSEC)/www.da.gov.ph