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Release Date :
Reference Number :
2020-206

Table A. Summary of Philippine Agricultural Trade
First Quarter 2019 and 2020, and Fourth Quarter 2019

Indicator First Quarter 2020p Fourth Quarter 2019r First Quarter 2019r
FOB Value
(in USD million)
Year-on-Year Growth
(in percent)
FOB Value
(in USD million)
Year-on-Year Growth
(in percent)
FOB Value
(in USD million)
Year-on-Year Growth
(in percent)
Total Agricultural Trade 4,400.85 -11.6 4,996.75 -0.5 4,977.47 13.2
Agricultural Exports 1,606.65  4.7 1,637.48 6.8 1,533.86 3.2
Agricultural Imports 2,794.21 -18.9 3,359.27 -3.7 3,443.61 18.3
Balance of Trade in Agricultural Goods -1,187.56 -37.8 -1,721.79 -12.0 -1,909.76 -34.1
p – preliminary, r – revised
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority

 

A. Total Agricultural Trade

1. Total agricultural trade drops at a faster rate

The country’s total agricultural trade in the first quarter of 2020, which amounted to USD 4.40 billion, slid at an annual rate of 11.6 percent. This was faster than the previous quarter’s annual drop of 0.5 percent, while slower than the 13.2 percent annual increase in the first quarter of 2019.

During the quarter, USD 1.61 billion (36.5%) were agricultural exports and USD 2.79 billion (63.5%) were agricultural imports. (Figure 1 and Table 1)

Figure 1

2. Agricultural trade balance continues to decrease

The total balance of trade in agricultural goods was USD 1.19 billion in the first quarter of 2020, which manifested a deficit with an annual decrease of 37.8 percent. In the fourth quarter of 2019, trade deficit fell at a slower rate of 12.0 percent, while in the first quarter of 2019, it was slightly slower at 34.1 percent. (Figure 1 and Table 1)

B. Agricultural Export

1. Agricultural export increases by 4.7 percent

The country’s agricultural export revenue rose to USD 1.61 billion or by 4.7 percent in the first quarter of 2020, from USD 1.53 billion agricultural export in the first quarter of 2019. The value of agricultural export for the first quarter of 2020 reflected a share of 10.2 percent to the total export of the country during the period. (Figure 2 and Table 1)

Figure 2

 

2. Agricultural export of edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons commodity group accounts for the largest share to total agricultural export

The total agricultural exports of the top 10 commodity groups amounted to USD 1.54 billion or 96.1 percent of the total agricultural export revenue in the first quarter of 2020. The combined export value of these top 10 commodity groups posted an annual growth of 5.7 percent.

Among the commodity groups, edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons, valued at USD 663.07 million, contributed the largest share of 41.3 percent to the total agricultural exports. (Figure 3 and Table 3)

Figure 3

3. Malaysia leads as trading partner in exports among ASEAN member countries

The country’s agricultural exports to ASEAN member countries in the first quarter of 2020 amounted to USD 153.41 million which accounted for 6.0 percent of the total exports to ASEAN member countries. Among the ASEAN member countries, Malaysia was the top destination of agricultural exports worth USD 56.48 million or a share of 36.8 percent to the total agricultural exports to ASEAN member countries. (Figure 4 and Table 7)

Figure 4

 

4. Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes group leads export of agricultural commodities to ASEAN member countries

The top three major agricultural commodities exported to ASEAN member countries in the first quarter of 2020 were:

a.  tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes, USD 55.48 million;
b. animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes, USD 24.69 million; and
c. preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products, USD 15.80 million. (Table 7)

5. Netherlands is the country’s major trading partner in export of agricultural goods among EU member countries

Exports of agricultural goods to EU member countries in the first quarter of 2020 reached USD 301.23 million which accounted for 16.3 percent of the country’s total exports to EU member countries.

Among the EU member countries, Netherlands was the country’s top buyer of agricultural commodities worth USD 141.17 million or 46.9 percent of the total agricultural exports to EU member countries. (Figure 5 and Table 9)

Figure 5

6. Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes commodity group is the top export agricultural commodity to EU member countries

The top three major agricultural commodities exported to EU member countries in the first quarter of 2020 were:

a.animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes,USD 118.25 million;
b. preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates, USD 63.72 million; and
c. preparation of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants,USD 50.13 million. (Table 9)

C. Agricultural Import

1. Agricultural import posts 18.9 percent decrease

The total agricultural imports amounted to USD 2.79 billion or a share of 12.0 percent to the country’s total imports. Total agricultural imports declined by 18.9 percent from its value of USD 3.44 billion in the first quarter of 2019. (Figure 6 and Table 1).

Figure 6

2. Cereals account for the highest value of agricultural imports

Among the major commodity groups, cereals, with a value of USD 573.01 million, comprised the largest share of 20.5 percent to the total agricultural imports in the first quarter of 2020. (Figure 7 and Table 5)

Figure 7

3. Vietnam accounts for the highest import value among ASEAN member countries

The country’s agricultural imports from ASEAN member countries in the first quarter of 2020 amounted to USD 1,023.05 million which accounted for 15.8 percent of the total imports from ASEAN member countries. Vietnam, which contributed 27.0 percent to the total agricultural imports from ASEAN member countries, was the major supplier of agricultural products in the first quarter of 2020. (Figure 8 and Table 8)

Figure 8

4. Miscellaneous edible preparations commodity group leads agricultural commodities imported from ASEAN member countries

The top three imported agricultural goods from ASEAN member countries were:

a. miscellaneous edible preparations, USD 253.51 million;
b. animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes, USD 228.50 million; and
c. cereals, USD 215.17 million. (Table 8)

5. Netherlands leads EU member countries on agricultural imports

The country’s agricultural imports from EU member countries reached USD 298.17 million or a share of 17.2 percent to the total imports from EU member countries in the first quarter of 2020. Among EU member countries, Netherlands was the country’s top supplier of agricultural commodities worth USD 66.53 million or a share of 22.3 percent to the total agricultural imports from EU member countries. (Figure 9 and Table 10)

Figure 9

6. Meat and edible meat offal commodity group ranks first in terms of import from EU member countries

The top three agricultural commodities imported from EU member countries were:

a. meat and edible meat offal, USD 74.29 million;
b. cereals, USD 55.09 million; and
c. dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere classified, USD 46.93 million. (Table 10)

 

DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General

 

Explanatory Notes

This Special Release features the preliminary figures for the imports and exports statistics of agricultural commodities of the Philippines in the first quarter of 2020.  The agricultural exports and imports contained in this report are compiled by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) from documents collected by the Burea of Customs.

The commodities are classified in accordance with the 10-digit 2015 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC). The agricultural commodity groups are from chapters 01 to 24 of the 2015 PSCC.  Chapters 01 to 24 relate to commodity classifications for live animals, meat and edible meat offal, fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere classified, products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included, vegetables products, edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons, coffee, tea, mate and spices, cereals, malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit, industrial or medicinal plants, straw and fodder, lac, gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins, vegetable plaiting materials, animal or vegetable fats and oils, waxes, prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits, vinegar and tobacco (manufactured and unmanufactured).

The valuation used for foreign trade of agricultural commodities adopts the World Trade Organization agreement on customs valuation and this applies to both imports and exports. Exports of agricultural commodities utilized the free on board (FOB) value, also known as the cost of goods. FOB is the value of the goods free on board the carrier at the frontier of the exporting country. It includes inland freight, export duty, and other expenses. Ocean freight, insurance, and consular fees, however, are excluded. On the other hand, imports of agricultural commodities use the cost of insurance and freight values which include the transaction value of the goods, the value of services performed to deliver goods to the border of the exporting country, and the value of services performed to deliver the goods from the border of the exporting country to the border of the importing country. 

Data on imports and exports of agricultural commodities can be requested from the PSA through the Trade Statistics Division of the Economic Sector Statistics Service with telephone number (02) 8376-1975 and email address tsd.staff@psa.gov.ph.

 

1. Source: IMTS Concepts and Definitions 2010, page 40 chapter 4). The value of transaction is expressed in US dollar.
 

 

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