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Updated on November 6, 2024 at 10:28 a.m.
The country’s agriculture production declined by 3.7 percent in the third quarter of this year, pulled down by lower palay (unhusked rice) and hog output, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In a report, the PSA said the value of production in agriculture decreased to P397.43 billion from P412.7 billion in the same period a year ago.
According to the statistics agency, reductions in the values of crops, livestock, and fisheries production caused the sector’s lukewarm performance.
READ: Agricultural output for Q2 down by 3.3% – PSA
“Undeniably, the combined effects of El Niño and La Niña weighed down palay production, a major contributor to the crop sector, which accounts for more than half of the value of agricultural and fisheries output,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.
“We’re implementing changes to the rice cropping calendar and building infrastructure like water impounding dams to mitigate the impact of climate change on the farming sector,” he added.
Crop production dipped by 5.1 percent to P211.62 billion, headlined by palay which contracted by 12.3 percent.
Livestock output was valued at P61.67 billion, a reduction of 6.7 percent, with hog dropping by 8 percent.
Fisheries production went down by 5.5 percent to end at P55.48 billion.
Only poultry output posted a growth of 5.8 percent, valued at P68.66 billion. Both chicken and chicken eggs registered increases of 6 percent and 6.6 percent, respectively.