The Department of Agriculture (DA) said it is targeting to increase the country’s livestock production by 5 percent and poultry output by 6 percent this year.
“The livestock and poultry subsector’s growth will be driven by more investments in swine, chicken and ruminant raising,” Agriculture Undersecretary for Livestock Jose C. Reaño told the BusinessMirror.
Barring major setbacks, such as strong typhoons, United Broiler Raisers Association President Elias Jose Inciong said the poultry industry will be able to increase
output this year.
“We will be able to sustain the positive growth, unless there are major events, such as pest infestation and the lack of supply of raw materials for feeds,” Inciong added.
He said growers are “especially optimistic” in the first half of the year, as the upcoming elections would mean higher demand for poultry products.
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country’s poultry sector grew by 5.74 percent in 2015, while livestock production expanded by 3.83 percent.
Hog production during the period reached 2.12 million metric tons (MMT), 4.33 percent higher than the previous year’s record of 2.03 MMT. Chicken output also increased by 5.67 percent to 1.66 MMT in 2015, as compared to 1.57 MMT recorded in 2014.
Meanwhile, Reaño said the DA expects poultry production to increase by 3 percent to 4 percent in the first quarter of 2016.
“We are expecting a growth of 3 percent to 4 percent for the poultry sector in the first quarter of 2016. Our original target is 6 percent, but we have already made allowances for the losses we may incur because of the Newcastle disease [ND],” he added.
Inciong said some poultry growers, specifically in Central Luzon where ND persists, have decided to defer chicken growing at this time.
He said, however, that the country’s chicken supply remains
adequate.
The inventory of dressed chicken in local cold storages as of February 22 rose by 25.04 percent to 21,814.93 metric tons (MT), from 17,446.33 MT a year ago, according to data from the National Meat Inspection Service.