OUTPUT of hogs, cattle and chicken eggs rose in the second quarter, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Hog production in the three months to June rose 3.0% year on year to 418.40 thousand metric tons (MT). Top producer was the Central Visayas at 57.43 thousand MT, accounting for 13.7% of the total, followed by Northern Mindanao (50.32 thousand MT), Western Visayas (49.06 thousand MT), Calabarzon (46.67 thousand MT), and Davao Region (31.52 thousand MT).
The population of swine in backyard and commercial farms rose 1.1% and 7.7%, respectively. About 70% of the population was grown by backyard farms, and the remainder raised in commercial farms, according to the PSA.
The average farmgate price of hogs upgraded for slaughter rose 10.5% year on year to P181.93 per kilogram during the quarter.
Cattle production rose 0.9% to 61.54 thousand MT led by Northern Mindanao with 9.26 thousand MT or 15% of the total. It was followed by Calabarzon (8.48 thousand MT), Ilocos region (6.52 thousand MT), Bicol region (6.28 thousand MT), and Western Visayas (4.71 thousand MT).
The cattle population in backyard farms rose 2.5%, while stock held by commercial farms fell 60.8%. About 97.9% of the cattle inventory was held by backyard farms.
The average farmgate price of cattle for slaughter in backyard farms was P161.25 per kilogram, up 10% from a year earlier.
In the second quarter, chicken egg output rose 10.5% year on year to 185.58 thousand MT. Top producer was Calabarzon, with 63.48 thousand MT or a 34.2% share of the total. Other major producers were Central Luzon (38.22 thousand MT), Central Visayas (21.25 thousand MT), Northern Mindanao (12.38 thousand MT), and Western Visayas (9.29 thousand MT).
Layer chicken numbers rose 11% during the period, while native/improved chicken declined 2.5%. Of the total laying flock, 65.9% were layer chicken and 34.1% were native/improved chicken.
According to the PSA, the average farmgate price of chicken egg in commercial farms was P5.43 during the quarter. — Luisa Maria Jacinta C. Jocson