Philippines
A web-based facility for storing and access of sub-national agricultural statistical data files from the country source. National focal points are responsible for maintaining the database.
The Philippine Archipelago
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Land Area: The Philippines has a total land area of approximately 300,000 sq. km. (115,830 sq. miles) and comprises 7,107 islands, some 4,000 of which are named and 1,000 are inhabited. The Philippine Archipelago is one of the largest island groups in the world. It is divided into three major island groups, namely: (1) Luzon, 150,212.8 sq. km.; (2) Visayas, 59,817.9 sq. km.; and (3) Mindanao, 128,624.2 sq. km.
Location: Off the south-east coast of Asia and sprawls between Asia mainland and Australia between latitude 21°25'N and 4°23'N and longitude 116°E and 127°E.
Climate: The local climate is hot, humid, and tropical. The average annual temperature is around 26.5° Celsius. Filipinos generally recognize three seasons: Tag-init or Tag-araw (hot season / summer; March to May), Tag-ulan (rainy season; June to November), and Tag-lamig (cold season; December to February). From June to September, the monsoon blows from the southwest (habagat). From October through April, the monsoon blows from the northeast (amihan). The country is also astride the typhoon belt of the Western Pacific and struck by about 10 typhoons per year.
Time Zone (Standard Time): One time zone. 120° East Meridian Time, which is eight hours in advance of the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics
The Focal Agency of Philippine AGSTAT System
The agricultural statistical system (AGSTAT) in the Philippines exists within the functional and organizational structure of the Philippine Statistical System (PSS). The PSS has a highly decentralized structure. Under the AGSTAT system of the country are all the entities concerned with the generation and dissemination of statistics on agriculture, fisheries and related fields, but the major producers are the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) and the National Statistics Office (NSO). The BAS serves as the focal agency of the AGSTAT system.
Under the law that created the BAS, it is mandated to:
- Collect, compile and release official agricultural statistics;
- Exercise technical supervision over all data collection centers; and
- Coordinate all agricultural statistics and economic research activities of the bureaus,
- corporations and offices of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
With the enactment of the Agriculture and Fisheries Modernization Act (AFMA) in 1997, the BAS takes on two major additional mandates, namely:
- Serve as the central information server of the DA’s National Information Network (NIN); and
- Provide technical assistance to end users in accessing and analyzing product and market information and technology.
As a staff bureau of the DA, the BAS is relatively a large organization. It is composed of ten (10) divisions and with a total personnel complement of 1035, one third of whom are based at the Central Office and the rest are stationed at the 80 Provincial Operations Centers (POCs) and 16 Regional Operations Centers (ROCs) across the country.
Recent Developments in the Philippine Agricultural Economy
Economic Performance: The Philippine economy continuously grew in the past three years. In 2004, the country's Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product both recorded an increase of more than 6.00 percent which surpassed the previous years' growth levels. Agriculture and fisheries, which accounted for about 20 percent of the total GDP, improved by 4.76 percent. This output gain was attributed to the expansion of all the sub-sectors except livestock which declined by 0.41 percent.
Population, Employment and Wages: In 2004, the projected population was 82.66 million persons. Males slightly exceeded the females in numbers. Despite the increasing number of employed persons in agriculture which reached 11.38 million, the sector's percentage share in total employment declined to 36.00 percent in 2004. The agricultural wage rates, both in nominal and real terms, increased throughout the reference years. In the first half of 2004, the nominal wages received by palay and corn farmers were recorded at P186.50 and P173.90, respectively.
International Trade: The country enjoyed increasing export earnings from agriculture during the three-year period. On the average, it grew annually by 12.80 percent. In 2004, the value of agricultural exports increased to US$ 2.51 billion. Coconut oil remained the country's top agricultural export. In terms of value, it comprised 22 to 23 percent of the total agricultural exports. Coconut oil showed significant contribution in terms of volume. In 2003, it accounted for 56.80 percent of coconut oil traded in the world market. Major markets for coconut oil are USA and Netherlands.
The value of agricultural imports fluctuated over the years, posting an annual growth of 5.42 percent. The total value of agricultural imports in 2004 was placed at US$ 3.66 billion, up by 12.84 percent from its year ago level. Among the agricultural imports, milk & cream & products and wheat and meslin accounted for the biggest shares ranging from 22 to 25 percent over the reference years.
Inputs and Other Farm Support Systems: The share of domestic production of fertilizer in total supply abruptly decreased to 7.2 percent in 2004 with the surge in the imported quantity of this input.
The support by the government to irrigation was minimal during the three-year period. In 2004, the proportion of the irrigated service area to total potential irrigable area remained at only 44.84 percent. It inched up at an annual average of 0.53 percent.
The share of agriculture in the total government expenditure has remained relatively low. In 2004, it accounted for only 2.93 percent of the national government budget. The highest share of 3.99 percent was recorded in 2003 when expenditures for agriculture reached the amount of P 32.9 billion.
Loans for agricultural purposes expanded to P 156.25 billion in 2004, recording an annual growth of 13.41 percent. About 40 percent of these loans were allocated to food production. The ratio of agricultural production loan to output was estimated at around 21 percent. The agricultural loans comprised 2.2 percent of the total loans granted.
Prices: An increasing consumer price index for all items was exhibited during the period 2002 to 2004. Over these years, average prices paid by consumer for goods and services were 10 to 21 index points above the 2000 price levels.
Domestic prices of palay continuously increased during the reference period. Prices of corn fluctuated over the years. Gain in prices was notably higher at the farm level. In 2004, farm price of palay posted an 8.14 percent increase. Prices of white and yellow corn grain appreciated by 32.22 and 27.14 percent, respectively. Farm prices of hog grew by 34.15 percent in the same year. A decline in farm prices was noted for duck and goat.
Contact address of Food and Agricultural Statistics in Philippines
Bureau of Agricultural Statistics
Department of Agriculture
Ben-lor Building, 1184 Quezon Avenue
Quezon City
Tel: (63-2) 3712050
Fax: (63-2) 3712086
E-mail: rsrecide@bas.gov.ph
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