CHICKEN and hog output rose in the second quarter, accompanied by declining farmgate prices, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
Production of chicken during the three-month period rose 3.3% year on year to 477.76 thousand metric tons (MT) on a liveweight basis.
Central Luzon was the top producer at 154.12 thousand MT, followed by Calabarzon (93.90 thousand), Northern Mindanao (39.08 thousand), Western Visayas (32.22 thousand), and Central Visayas (29.67 thousand).
The five regions accounted for 73% of national production for the period.
As of June 30, the PSA estimates the national chicken inventory at 200.21 million birds, up 2.8% from a year earlier.
Of the total broiler chicken inventory, native/improved chicken accounted for 43.3%, followed by broiler chicken with a 34.5% share, and layer chicken with 22.2%, the PSA said.
In the three months to June, the farmgate price of chicken averaged P134.13 per kilogram, down 2.4% from a year earlier.
The PSA also reported a 1% year on year rise in hog production during the quarter to 422.72 thousand MT.
The top producer during the period was Central Visayas with 54.44 thousand MT, followed by Calabarzon (53.84 thousand), Northern Mindanao (50.98 thousand), Central Luzon (42.35 thousand), and Western Visayas (42.03 thousand).
These regions accounted for 57.6% of the country’s total hog production during the period, the PSA said.
As of June 30, the national hog inventory was up 1.4% year on year at 10.07 million head.
About 67.5% of the swine population is grown by smallhold farms, while the remaining 29.2% and 3.2% are grown by commercial and semi-commercial farms, respectively, the PSA said.
The average farmgate price of slaughtered hogs declined 5.1% to P169.73 per kilogram.
Meanwhile, the production of chicken egg and cattle for the April to June period, fell by 2.1% and 1%, respectively.
Chicken egg production dropped to 81.74 thousand MT from 185.58 thousand a year earlier.
Calabarzon remained the top producer of eggs with 59.86 thousand MT during the period, followed by Central Luzon (33.34 thousand), Central Visayas (19.97 thousand), Northern Mindanao (15.94 thousand), and Western Visayas (9.71 thousand), These top producers accounted for 76.4% of the national total.
As of June 20, the layer chicken flock declined 1.4% year on year to 66.96 million birds.
Cattle production edged lower to 60.95 thousand MT from 61.54 thousand a year earlier.
The top five producers of cattle for the period were Northern Mindanao with 9.56 thousand MT, Calabarzon with 8.24 thousand, Bicol with 6.28 thousand, Ilocos with 5.76 thousand, and Central Visayas with 5.76 thousand.
These regions accounted for 57.5% of the national cattle output for the quarter.
Cattle inventory for the period was 2.58 million head, up from 2.57 million a year earlier.
About 81.4% of the cattle population during the period was grown on smallhold farms, while the remaining 14.9% and 3.7% were held by semi-commercial and commercial farms, respectively. — Adrian H. Halili