POULTRY and dairy output expanded in the third quarter, while hog, cattle and goat production contracted, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA said hog production in the three months to September slipped 1.4% to 408,940 metric tons (MT) on a liveweight basis.
Hog output has now declined for seven consecutive quarters, following the industry’s slow recovery from African Swine Fever (ASF) and elevated feed costs.
Despite weaker production, the swine inventory as of Sept. 30 rose 0.1% to 9.11 million head, with smallhold farms accounting for 75.8% of the herd. Commercial farms accounted for 22.6%, while semi-commercial farms made up 1.6%.
The 9.11-million head population, however, is still significantly lower than the 15 million before the ASF outbreak.
Cattle production fell 2.7% in the third quarter to 50,870 MT (liveweight).
The PSA said the cattle inventory as of the end of September was 2.54 million head, down 1.6% from a year earlier.
Goat production fell 7.7% year on year to 15,700 MT (liveweight), marking a second straight annual decline in the third quarter. The PSA said 99.7% of the goat herd of 3.61 million head was held by smallhold farms.
Dairy posted the fastest expansion among major commodities, with output surging 34.7% year on year to 10,950 MT in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, the poultry subsector posted significant growth. Total chicken production jumped 12.4% to 553,650 MT (liveweight) in the third quarter.
Total chicken inventory, however, fell 0.3% as of the end of September to 221.19 million birds.
Chicken egg production expanded 7.7% to 212,680 MT. The total chicken laying flock as of the end of September increased 9.3% to 78.22 million birds, with layer chickens making up 61.6% of the total.
Duck meat production edged up 0.6% to 6,670 MT (liveweight). The duck inventory as of Sept. 30 rose 0.8% to 14.56 million birds, over 70% of which were raised in smallhold farms.
On the other hand, duck egg production contracted, slipping 4.3% to 12,090 MT as nine regions posted declines in output. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel
