Livestock & poultry raising posts excellent performance

As agriculture continued to contribute heavily to the country’s GNP (gross national product) in the year 2002, posting a growth rate of 3.69 percent over the year 2001’s performance, so did the livestock sector which turned in a growth rate of 4.21 percent in the same period.

The Philippines’ GDP (gross domestic product) grew by 3.1 percent in 2002 and is seen to grow by four percent this year. GDP is the value of all goods and services produced in the country within a given period. GNP is simply GDP plus the net factor incomes remitted from abroad by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and overseas investments.

The gross value of agricultural production has been estimated by the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) at P617.9 billion at current prices. The figure represents an upswing of 7.38 percent in money terms. All sub-sectors posted gross output increases: crops (1.39 percent), fishery (6.77 percent), livestock (4.39 percent) and poultry (6.13 percent).

Undersecretary Cesar M. Drilon Jr. is upbeat on the performance of the sub- sectors under his watch. "Value of livestock production reaches P110.8 billion at current prices gaining for it a 4.21-percent uptrend in 2002. BAS record on volume of production continues a three-year creditable performance: annual growth rate of 4.24 percent in 1999; 2.99 percent in 2000 and 2.88 percent in 2001.

"Poultry sub-sector with a gross of P88.6 billion at current prices puts in place 15.93 percent contribution to the total agricultural production, up by 6.13 percent growth in 2002 over the previous year.

"The biggest gain at 6.82 percent is credited to chicken. The gain is supported by continuous increase in the number of broilers from commercial farms. Chicken eggs also performed well with 5.72 percent increment in output for 2002.

"The combined contribution of livestock and poultry to the total value of agricultural production from 1998 to 2002 fluctuates but just the same the figures are substantial. In 1998, the increase is in the area 30.41 percent; in 1999 (28.50 percent); in 2000 (32.14 percent); in 2001 (33.35 percent and in 2002 (32.27 percent)."

In value contribution to total agricultural output, swine production ranks second only to palay farming. This sub-sector has consistently been a major contributor to the total livestock output. In 2002, its production reached a thumping P86.77 billion, for a four percent growth over the 2001 output of P83.54 billion.

The 11.063 million hogs in 2001 increased 5.3 percent to 11.65 million hogs in 2002. These figures represented a production of 1.67 million metric tons in 2002 up by 5.25 percent from 2001. The volume output of 2001 was also a 4.40 percent improvement from 2000.

Increasing trend is also shown in cattle inventories over the last three years (1997-1999): 251.47 thousand metric tons in 1997 rising to 271 thousand metric tons in 1999. The 1999 total output surpassed the 1998 level by four percent. For its part, carabao inventory reached three million heads in 1998 and 118.95 thousand metric tons in 1999.

"We are looking at a very positive growth for the livestock and poultry sub sectors based on the data on the performance of agriculture in the past five years," said Drilon.

Notwithstanding the positive performance of the livelihood and poultry sub sector, there are problems and harmful perceptions to be addressed.

In recent months, there had been a substantial drop in farm gate prices of hogs. Some sectors attribute this to massive importation of pork and other meat products. Importation data in the last four years, however, say otherwise. Volumes of imported meat (except for carabeef) had not significantly risen.

There were more pork imported in 2000 (49,962,929 kilos) compared with 2001 (44,451,713 kilos) and 2002 (49,724,766) but the hog sub sector was not restive then.

Pork sourced from abroad accounts for less than four percent of total domestic supply.

Still other sectors attribute the plunge of prices to importation of carabeef which is believed to substitute for pork in the wet markets. The importation of carabeef is allowed exclusively for processing. As a result of increased importation between 2001 (44.261 million kilos) and 2002 (50.614 million kilos), the meat processing sub sector grow by a whopping 17 percent. (To be continued)