THE country’s agriculture production ended 2025 on a positive note, growing by a “respectable” 2.6 percent — said to be the highest in five years — despite bad weather and other setbacks.
The value of agriculture and fisheries output rose by 2.6 percent to P1.77 trillion, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday, buoyed by a 0.5-percent gain in the last three months of the year.
Crop production, which fell by 2.5 percent in October-November and accounted for 56.3 percent of total output for the period, closed out the year up 2.8 percent to P986.81 billion.
The fourth-quarter drop was attributed to “weather-related setbacks” that disrupted harvests, and the DA said “the data underscores a familiar vulnerability: crops remain the backbone of agriculture — and its weakest link when climate risks intensify.”
Poultry, with the second-biggest share of 16.1 percent, grew by 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter and ended 2025 at P304.71 billion, up 9.1 percent.
The sector was the year’s “bright spot,” the DA said.
Livestock — 14.0 of total agricultural output — grew by 1.0 percent during the quarter but contracted by 2.3 percent to P246.42 billion for the full year.
Fisheries posted a 4.0-percent uptick in the last three months of the year and shared 13.6 percent of overall output, but ultimately fell 0.3 percent to P233.66 billion in value.
“The takeaway is clear: growth is holding, but climate volatility is setting the ceiling,” the DA said.
“Without faster adaptation, agriculture’s gains risk being washed out — quite literally — by the next storm,” it added.
Still, DA spokesman Arnel De Mesa said the results “surprisingly surpassed” the department’s targets and attributed it to increased funding.
He expressed optimism that growth would be sustained this year given resources allotted for rice and high-value commercial crops, as well as the start of the Animal Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.
“So, we really just need impetus through resources, innovation, technology, plus strong [research and development] to really strengthen the agriculture sector,” De Mesa said.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., meanwhile, said the government was shifting from reaction to resilience.
“We’re now laying the groundwork for a smarter, climate-resilient agriculture,” he said, pointing to investments in cold storage, drying facilities, silos, upgraded rice processing systems, greenhouses and smart irrigation.
The DA said “the goal is to temper weather shocks, stabilize supply and smooth food prices for both producers and consumers.”
Federation of Free Farmers National Manager Raul Montemayor, however, said growth was only achieved because 2024 was a “bad year” due to calamities.
He said that all major agriculture subsectors, except poultry, recorded lower output in 2025 compared to 2023, “which begs the question: why is the sector not growing significantly despite the billions being poured into various support programs?”
“Between 2025 and 2024, total output in 2018 constant prices increased by around P45 billion, much less than the budget and money invested by the government for the sector during the year,” Montemayor claimed.
“We need a thorough review and radical reconfiguration of government support programs for the sector, not a ‘more of the same, just increase the budget’ approach.”
