Philippines farm output drops deeper last year

Farm sector output worsened last year after livestock production declined by double-digits, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed on Wednesday, Jan. 26. The PSA reported that the value of the Philippines’ agricultural output shrank by 1.7 percent from January to December 2021, a steeper decline compared with the 1.2 percent contraction registered in the previous year. Agriculture, which accounts for about 10 percent of domestic economic output, saw its livestock sector goes down by 17 percent amid the prolonged outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF). Livestock sector made up 14.3 percent of the total farm production in 2021. For hog, the sub sector slumped by 20.8 percent, worse than the 6.7 percent drop recorded in 2020. Moreover, the poultry sector also suffered a 0.3 percent contraction in output, but this level is at a much slower pace compared with the 3.5 percent decline seen a year earlier. Poultry, accounting for 13.4 percent of the total, saw all its ...