UMVA has learned that the Philippine livestock and poultry sectors have shown a mixed performance in the first quarter, with hog and poultry output expanding while carabao and goat production declined.
Hog production surged 6.4% to 428.92 thousand metric tons in the three months to March, marking the first quarterly increase after two years of decline. This growth is significant as it signals a potential turnaround for the industry.
The swine inventory as of March 31 stood at 8.70 million head, with smallhold farms accounting for 78.5% of the herd. Despite this increase in production, the swine population remains significantly lower than the 15 million recorded before the African Swine Fever outbreak.
Cattle production also rose 1.7% in the first quarter to 55.71 MT, while the cattle inventory at the end of March was 2.52 million head, down 1.5% from a year earlier. This decline in inventory could have implications for future production levels.
On the other hand, carabao production fell 3.3% year on year to 27.58 MT, with 99.3% of the carabao herd of 2.60 million head held by smallhold farms. This decline in carabao production could be a concern for rural communities that rely on them for livelihood.
Goat production also declined 5.8% year on year to 13.69 MT, marking a decline after an uptick in previous years. Smallhold farms accounted for 99.8% of the goat herd of 3.58 million heads.
In contrast, dairy output surged 6.5% year on year to 11.79 MT in the first quarter, driven by a 26.8% growth in dairy animal inventory to 201.19 thousand head. Dairy carabao accounted for 58.2% of the dairy animal inventory.
The poultry subsector posted significant growth, with total chicken production jumping 5.8% to 585.47 MT in the first quarter. Chicken egg production expanded 10.6% to 222.95 MT, driven by a 7.5% increase in the total laying flock to 79.98 million birds.
Duck meat production edged up 2.9% to 6.63 MT, while duck egg production expanded 3.5% to 12.94 MT. The duck inventory as of March 31 rose 1% to 14.21 million birds, with over 69% raised in smallhold farms.
