Chicken production up 8.2% in second quarter

CHICKEN production in the three months to June rose 8.2%, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported, reflecting the switch to other meats due to high pork prices.

Chicken produced in the second quarter amounted to 563.04 thousand metric tons (MT).

In 2023 and 2024, chicken production rose 3.2% and 8.9%, respectively, it added.

Central Luzon accounted for 33.6% or 189.09 thousand MT of production during the period, with output growing by 22.30 thousand MT from a year earlier.

It was followed by Calabarzon with 113.60 thousand MT, Northern Mindanao with 41.16 thousand MT, the Central Visayas with 35.52 thousand MT, and Soccsksargen with 26.48 thousand MT.

Of the total, broiler chicken accounted for 87.5%, followed by native/improved chicken at 11.0% share, culled layer chicken at 1.2%, and gamefowl for breeding at 0.2%.

At the end of June, the chicken inventory was 212.83 million birds, down 2.3% from a year earlier.

Chicken egg production in the three months to June rose 4.8% year on year to 207.76 thousand MT.

Calabarzon was the top producer of chicken egg with 68.09 thousand MT or a 32.8% share, followed by Central Luzon (35.72 thousand MT), the Central Visayas (20.75 thousand MT), Northern Mindanao (18.24 thousand MT), and Soccsksargen (10.39 thousand MT).

The PSA said hog production in the three months to June fell 7.5% to 390.49 thousand MT on a liveweight basis.

Central Luzon accounted for 56.90 thousand MT, or 14.6% of the total, followed by Calabarzon (52.87 thousand MT), Northern Mindanao (50.61 thousand MT), Central Visayas (36.01 thousand MT), and Davao Region (29.77 thousand MT).

The PSA said 14 regions registered declining production during the quarter, with the Central Visayas posting the highest decrease of 13.66 thousand MT.

As of the end of June, the national swine inventory was 9.01 million head, down 5.6% from a year earlier.

About 71.6% of the swine population was grown by smallholder farms, while 24.8% and 3.6% were grown by commercial and semi-commercial farms, respectively.

The PSA said dairy production in the three months to June hit 8.38 thousand MT, up 9.6% from a year earlier.

Calabarzon accounted for 2.27 thousand MT or 27.1% of the total dairy production, followed by Western Visayas (1.37 thousand MT), Northern Mindanao (1.02 thousand MT), Central Luzon (1.01 thousand MT), and Central Visayas (0.57 thousand MT).

As of June 30, the dairy animal herd rose 16.4% to 166.41 thousand head.

Dairy carabaos accounted for 54% of the herd, followed by dairy goat at 23.5% and dairy cattle at 22.5%. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza