Following two consecutive quarters of growth, agricultural output shrank 3.8% in the last three months of 2020 as farms produced less livestock, fish and crops during the period, bringing production for the full year down by 1.2%.
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THE Philippine trade deficit widened to a nine-month high in December as month-on-month imports went up, potentially indicating improved consumer imports as economic activity picks up, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed on Wednesday. Read the
Hit by calamities in 2020
A “perfect storm” – comprised of a series of typhoons, COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, the persistence of African Swine Fever (ASF), among other unfortunate scenarios – has challenged the agriculture sector in 2020, bringing down the total full-year output at -1.2 percent.
Released yesterday, the latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed the country’s farm output went down by 1.2 percent in 2020, from a growth of 0.7 percent in 2019, after crops, livestock, poultry, and fisheries all recorded lower production.
In the fourth quarter alone, output declined by 3.8 percent, which is higher compared to the level of the decline of 0.1 percent in agricultural production during the same period in 2019.
MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO
In a virtual hearing Monday, the House panel tasked Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento to lead the TWG on the proposed extension of the SAAD from 2023 to 2028 after the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) recommended that program assessment be conducted to determine the gaps aimed at improving its implementation.
Ang Probinsyano partylist Rep. Alfred delos Santos, vice chairperson of the panel who led the initial deliberations on House Resolution No. 1421, said the proposal of Masbate 2nd District Rep. Elisa “Olga” Kho seeks to address the poverty incidence in the countryside.
“The extension would also go with the government’s efforts to address the aftermath of the three strong typhoons Quinta, Rolly, and Ulysses,” he said.
Reporter
THE agriculture sector’s growth likely slowed in the fourth quarter, after a string of strong typhoons devastated rice-producing areas.
Glenn B. Gregorio, director of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), said the agriculture sector will post 0.58% growth in the fourth quarter, slower than the 0.7% growth in the third quarter. However, this will be a slight improvement from the 0.1% drop in farm output in the fourth quarter of 2019.
Mr. Gregorio said the crops subsector is seen to grow by 3.66%, while the fisheries subsector is estimated to rise by 1.69%.
“However, comparable to the previous quarters, the livestock and poultry sectors are estimated to experience negative growth rates at -6.37% and -3.45%, respectively,” Mr. Gregorio said.