PRODUCTION

The total volume of carabao production in 2021 was estimated  at 8,473.26 metric tons, liveweight. This was 13.30 percent higher  than the 7,478.72 metric tons, liveweight output in 2020. Production  on both 1^st semester and 2^nd semester shows an increase  in 2021 with 4,100.70 metric tons and 4,372.56 metric tons, respectively.

Among the regions in the Philippines, Ilocos Region ranked 7^th highest in the carabao production in 2021. The region accounted 6.55 percent of the country’s total production of carabao at 129,344.87 metric tons, liveweight.

By province, volume of carabao production in Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte,  and La Union increased in 2021 by 57.40 percent, 40.79 percent,  and 17.84 percent, respectively. The province of Pangasinan,  however, declined by 1.53 percent from the production of 4,821.04 metric tons in 2020 to 4,747.10 metric tons in 2021.

The total number of carabao butchered in Slaughterhouses in the region in 2021 increased by 15.98 percent over 2020. Both 1^st and 2^nd semester of 2021 recorded an increase in number of slaughtered carabao  in slaughterhouses by 31.93 percent and 3.01 percent, respectively.

INVENTORY

Carabao inventory as of 01 January 2021 was 184,469 heads.  This has an increase of 3.38 percent higher compared with the previous year’s inventory of 178,438 heads. Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and La Union increased in cattle headcount as of 01 January 2021 by 8.34 percent,  6.65 percent, and 16.71 percent, respectively. On the other hand,  the cattle headcount in Pangasinan decreased by 6.84 percent.

PRICE

The annual average farmgate price of carabao for slaughter in 2021  was PhP139.94 per kilogram, liveweight. This was 8.08 percent higher than the average farmgate price of PhP129.48 per kilogram, liveweight  in 2020.

The highest farmgate price in 2021 was recorded in December  at PhP149.13 per kilogram, liveweight, while the lowest price was recorded in April at PhP132.36 per kilogram, liveweight.

SGD. ATTY. SHEILA O. DE GUZMAN
Regional Director, RSSO I