PRODUCTION of cacao, coconut, rubber, and sugarcane increased in the second quarter while output of abaca, coffee, and tobacco declined, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
PSA said in a bulletin that coconut production for the three months to June rose 0.8% year-on-year to 3.29 million metric tons (MT).
The Davao Region accounted for 13.8% or 455,448.53 MT, Northern Mindanao 13.3% or 436,738.98 MT, and Zamboanga Peninsula 12.7% or 416,403.45 MT.
Sugarcane output for the quarter rose 34.8% to 6.91 million MT.
“Sugarcane for centrifugal sugar accounted for 98.2% of total sugarcane production. The remaining 1.8% was the collective share of sugarcane for ethanol, panocha/muscovado, chewing, and basi/vinegar,” PSA said.
Western Visayas was the top sugarcane producer with 46.9% of the total or 3.24 million MT, followed by Northern Mindanao at 20.4% or 1.41 million MT, and Central Visayas at 13.8% or 956,008.56 MT.
Rubber production rose 5.9% to 123,819.09 MT, led by the Zamboanga Peninsula, which accounted for 39.1% or 48,377.01 MT, followed by ARMM (Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) at 36.2% or 44,774.45 MT, and SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City) at 16.5% or 20,404.2 MT.
Cacao output during the quarter rose 9.9% to 2,224.57 MT. Davao Region accounted for 71.4% or 1,588.54 MT, Zamboanga Peninsula 6.5% or 145.54 MT, and Cagayan Valley 5.7% or 125.79 MT.
Abaca fiber production for the quarter fell 1.2% to 18,057.76 MT. The top producer was the Bicol Region with a 29.6% share or 5,349.97 MT, followed by Eastern Visayas at 19.7% or 3,551.65 MT, and CARAGA a14.7% or 2,661.75 MT.
Dried coffee berry output fell 0.3% to 5,866.16 MT.
“Robusta coffee was still the most produced type (with) 56.6% of the total during the period,” the PSA said.
Arabica coffee accounted for 30.2%, followed by Excelsa coffee with 12.5%, and Liberica coffee 0.5%. SOCCSKSARGEN accounted for 30.7% or 1,800.92 MT, followed by Davao Region with 21.8% or 1,276.76 MT and ARMM 21.3% or 1,250.17 MT.
Dried leaf tobacco production declined 2.1% to 36,831.33 MT, led by Ilocos Region with 67.7% of the total or 24,933.85 MT, followed by the Cagayan Valley with 30% or 11,042.17 MT, and the Cordillera Administrative Region 1.4% or 532.89 MT.
The burley variety accounted for 42.4% of the crop, followed by Virginia tobacco with 41.4%, the PSA said.
The PSA reported in early August that the value of production of Philippine agriculture contracted by 1.5% in the second quarter as the livestock and fisheries subsectors declined 19.3% and 1.1%, respectively. Crop production rose 3.1% while poultry production improved 2.5%.
The Agriculture department has lowered its 2021 growth target for the agriculture sector to 2% from 2.5% as a result of the lockdowns and the African Swine Fever outbreak. – Revin Mikhael D. Ochave