PRODUCTION

The total carabao production in IIocos Region increased to 8,739.51 metric tons liveweight in 2022. This was 3.14 percent higher than the 8,473.26 metric tons in 2021. First Semester 2022 production recorded an increase of 12.81 percent while production in second semester 2022 decreased by 5.93 percent.

Ilocos Region contributed 6.71 percent to the national production of 130,271.50 metric tons liveweight, ranking 7th among the Carabao producing regions in the country.

INVENTORY

The total headcount of carabao in Ilocos Region as of 01 January 2022 was 166,251 heads. It declined by 9.88 percent from the inventory of 184,469 heads as of 01 January 2021. Likewise, carabao inventory as of 01 July 2022 registered a decrease of 12.63 percent over the 2021 levels of the same reference date.

By province, decreases in carabao population as of 01 January 2022 were noted in Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Pangasinan by 4.42 percent, 3.60 percent and 23.93 percent, respectively, compared to the same reference in 2021. However, an increase of 3.84 percent in the number of carabao headcounts in La Union was noted as of 01 January 2022. Decreases in carabao headcount were further noted in all provinces as of 01 July 2022.

PRICES

The average annual farm price of carabao for slaughter in 2022 was PhP210.11 per kilo liveweight. This was higher by 50.13 percent than the price of PhP139.94 per kilo liveweight in 2021. The monthly average farm prices in 2022 were generally higher than the 2021 price. The highest price recorded during the period was PhP295.27 per kilo in July 2022 while the lowest farm price was PhP156.77 per kilo liveweight in September 2022.

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