Farm output in the Philippines contracted 1.1 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 as typhoons Karen and Lawin reduced the production in the crops and fisheries sectors, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Friday.
The PSA said the poor performance in the last quarter resulted in a 1.41-percent drop in agriculture production in the full of 2016 from a contraction of 0.11 percent in 2015.
“That is the total sum of the damage of typhoons and tropical storms which hit the country’s agricultural areas,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol.
Total production value based on current prices amounted to P456.4 billion in the fourth, up 1.35 percent from P450.3 billion year-on-year.
The PSA said the crops sub-sector which accounted for more than half of total farm production posted a 2.62 percent contraction in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Palay, or unmilled rice, production fell 3.62 percent to 7.01 million metric tons last year from 7.27 million metric tons in 2015, after typhoons Karen and Lawin damaged some rice-producing areas, including Cagayan Valley, the Bicol Region and other farms in Luzon.
“There were also reports of unrealized plantings in the provinces of Isabela, Misamis Oriental and Misamis Occidental as a result of inadequate irrigation water. In Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas, area harvested to palay was lower due to excessive rainfall during the planting period,” the PSA said.
Corn production dropped 0.15 percent to 1.728 million metric tons from 1.730 million metric tons on year due to the adverse effects of typhoons Karen and
Lawin. The PSA noted a contraction in areas harvested in the Cordillera Autonomous Region, Cagayan Valley and Bicol Region.
Coconut production also dropped 5.22 percent from 3.97 million metric tons in the fourth quarter of 2015 to 3.77 million metric tons in 2016 due to the extended effects of the dry spell.
Other output losses were reported for sugarcane, coffee, mango, tobacco, mongo, onion, cabbage and rubber.
The PSA, however, said production gains recorded noted in banana, pineapple, abaca, peanut, cassava, sweet potato, tomato, eggplant and calamansi.
The fishery sub-sector declined 2.95 percent in the fourth quarter from a negative 3.90 percent in 2015 as tilapia, skipjack, seaweed, and round scad production all dropped during the period.
The PSA said while the production in the livestock sub-sector expanded by 3.41 percent, the growth was still lower compared with the 3.72 percent increase in 2015.
Carabao, hog, and dairy production rose during the period while goat output fell as the dry spell resulted in the stunted growth of animals and the lower volume of stocks of marketable sizes available for disposal in Central Luzon and Region 12.
Production in the poultry sub-sector grew 1 percent from 4.17 percent last year due to higher production of chicken and duck egg.