Agriculture output up 0.4% in 2023: Philippines

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Agricultural production rose last year, driven by the growth in crops and the poultry and livestock subsectors.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that agricultural output increased by 0.4 percent in 2023.

The value of agriculture and fisheries production amounted to P1.76 trillion, slightly higher than the P1.757 trillion recorded in 2022.

In the fourth quarter of 2023 alone, the value of agriculture and fisheries production went up by 0.7 percent to P493.73 billion.

PSA data showed that the poultry sector posted the largest growth among sub-sectors last year, rising by 3.8 percent to P262 billion. It accounted for 14.9 percent of the total value of production.

Chicken accounted for the bulk of the poultry output, registering a production value P181 billion.

The livestock sector followed with a production value of P263.4 billion, up 2.5 percent from the previous year. It accounted for a 14.9 percent share of the value of production.

This was driven by hog production with a production value of P214.6 billion

The crops sector, which accounted for the bulk of the production or 56.8 percent, also posted a 0.7 percent increase to P1 trillion.

Palay continued to account for the bulk of the crop's production, accounting for P406 billion or an increase from the P399.98 billion recorded the year before.

In contrast, the fisheries sector declined to P236 billion from P252.7 million in the previous year. The subsector had a 13.4 percent share in the value of production.

Milkfish or bangus continued to post the highest production in the subsector, registering P36.65 billion.