BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Region 6 reported a decrease in the production of hogs and goats in Western Visayas during the second quarter of 2024.
The decline suggests several underlying challenges within the livestock sector, including livestock management, rising feed costs, diseases, or environmental factors impacting farming conditions.
Such a downturn could also impact local supply chains and prices, potentially affecting both producers and consumers.
Hog production, estimated at 24,391 metric tons for the second quarter of 2024, declined by 42 percent against the production of 42,026 metric tons in the second quarter of 2023.
Similarly, Goat production decreased by 17.6 percent, from 1,681 metric tons in 2023 to 1,385 metric tons in 2024.
In contrast, Carabao production grew by 2.9 percent in the same period, registering at 4,525 metric tons. Cattle production also recorded an increase of 3.0 percent, or a production of 4,870 metric tons, compared to the previous year’s production of 4,729 metric tons.
The PSA-6 recorded fewer cattle and hogs were slaughtered in slaughtered houses in the second quarter of this year.
About 14, 346 cattle were slaughtered in various slaughterhouses in Western Visayas, or a decrease of 81 cattle (0.6 percent), compared to the same period last year. Likewise, 176, 680 hogs were slaughtered in the same period last year, or a decline of 22.3 percent.
On the other hand, the slaughtering of carabaos rose by 2.8 percent compared to last year’s second quarter period. Goats slaughtered in slaughterhouses increased to 291 heads or 57.2 percent.
Negros Occidental and Iloilo contributed more than half of the region’s livestock inventory. PSA-6 recorded 231, 150 carabaos in Western Visayas as of July 1, 2024. Of the number, Negros Occidental and Iloilo shared 35.5 percent and 31 percent, respectively.
Meanwhile, cattle inventory was estimated at 221, 142, wherein Iloilo contributed 58, 911 heads, or 26.6 percent. Negros Occidental posted 858, 181 heads while Antique had 54, 146 heads.
In the goat inventory, Western Visayas recorded about 357, 271 heads. Of the number, Negros Occidental accounted for more than half, or 56.4 percent of the total goat inventory in the region. Iloilo, meanwhile, was the second contributor with 71, 127 heads, or 24.5 percent share.
In the same period, Western Visayas registered the Swine inventory at 619, 176 heads, with the share of Negros Occidental at 57.9 percent, or 358, 601 heads.
Meanwhile, the provinces of Iloilo and Negro Occidental lead in total chicken inventory as of July 1, 2024. The region’s chicken inventory reached P18, 323, 555 birds, with Iloilo and Negros Occidental contributing 38.2 percent and 31.9 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, broiler chicken inventory reached 4, 884, 152, with 36 percent and 31 percent share of Iloilo and Negros Occidental, respectively.
Aklan contributed 22.2 percent and Capiz had 10.7 percent. The provinces of Antique and Guimaras both contributed less than one percent./PN
