Philippines’ farm, fishery output up 2.1% in Q1

MANILA  -The country’s farm output rose by 2.1 percent in the first quarter of 2023, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed.

This was a turnaround from the 0.3-percent decline recorded in the same period last year,  the statistics agency noted in a report released Wednesday.

The value of agriculture and fishery production at constant 2018 prices reached P428.69 billion, slightly up from about P420 billion a year ago.

All subsectors registered increases in production during the January to March period.

Livestock subsector posted the largest growth at 4.1 percent following a drop of 1 percent a year ago.

Poultry followed with 3.2 percent, although the increase in the same period last year was higher at 12.3 percent.

Crops recorded a 1.7-percent improvement after a decline of 1.7 percent in the same period last year.

The fisheries subsector posted a 0.3-percent increase,  a reversal of a 5.8-percent output decline in the first quarter of 2022.