Philippine farm output drops 5% in Q3 on weather damage, high input costs

Philippine agricultural production declined by 5% to P389.42 billion in the third quarter due to weather disturbances, flooding, and high farm input costs, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). Crop production fell by 9.3%, driven by declines in palay and corn output, while fisheries contracted by 8.5%. Meanwhile, poultry and livestock grew by 4.9% and 1.1%, respectively. The Department of Agriculture is preparing a P62-billion response program to help farmers and fishers cope with the effects of the ongoing El Niño, which threatens to further affect agricultural production.