DA: Record palay, corn output boosts H1 agri growth

Headlined by the record harvests of rice and corn, Philippine crop output buoyed the country’s agriculture sector by 5.48 percent in the first semester, the Agriculture Department reported Monday. Palay (unmilled rice) and corn registered all-time high outputs of 7.58 million metric tons (MT) and 3.31 million MT, respectively, , Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said. This pulled up the crops subsector by 11.1 percent, he said. The subsector then contributed more than half or 51.8 percent to the total agriculture output. Likewise contributing to the improved performance, the livestock and poultry subsectors also grew by 0.85 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. The fisheries subsector, however, suffered a 2.9-percent decline as the catch of commercial and municipal fish dipped in the first six months of the year. The gross value of agriculture production totaled P706.4 billion at current prices, or about 16 percent higher year on year. Sugarcane meanwhile grew by 75.6 percent, recovering from the effects of the 2010 dry spell. Tobacco, rubber, pineapple, banana, and abaca were also good performers, the Agriculture Department said. The crops subsector grossed P411.8 billion at current prices, up 31.1 percent year-on-year. — PE/VS, GMA News