AGRICULTURE, forestry, and fishing reported a slow growth of 1.9% from 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (XI) Economic Performance of Davao region for 2025 Report on Thursday.
Jocelyn Gerones, Department of Agriculture XI Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Division officer, agriculture is the most sensitive when it comes to weather conditions frequenting the region.
“Agriculture is very vulnerable to weather conditions, La Niña, El Niño, typhoons, is a big concern for agricultural damage,” Gerones told TIMES, noting these affect the production.
Gerones added that the low growth can also be attributed to pests and diseases such as influenza in animals and livestock, especially hog production.
The PSA XI reported that the economy of the Davao Region in 2025 reached a value of P1.14 trillion, reflecting a 5.1 percent growth compared to 2024.
The agency said this is the region’s third consecutive year of sustaining a trillion-peso economy, securing its position as the fifth-largest regional economy in the Philippines.
However, of the share of major industries for the economy of the region, where Services logged 62.1%, and Industries had 24.7, agriculture, forestry, and fishing had the lowest share with 13.2%.
Of the P1.14 trillion, the industry logged a share of P149.68 billion, where crops logged the highest with 65.8%; livestock and poultry and other animals (19.7%); support activities (11.1%); fishing (3.4%), and forestry (0.01%).
Taking a closer look at the industry, of the major industries, while the agriculture, forestry, and fishing industry logged a positive growth, the rate is slow.
From 2023, the industry reached a value of P147.45 billion, which decelerated to P146.90 billion in 2024 but rebounded to P149.68 billion in 2025.
Gerones said that while this is a slow growth, the region is still hopeful for the industry as it has continued to increase in economic value.
“Although wala kaayo nag increase, gikan man gud sa negative growth, so nag positive karon maong di kaayo makita ang increase, but at least nag positive,” she said.
DA XI continues to conduct seed subsidy, fertilizer assistance, and provision of planting materials to the farmers as per the request of the local government unit and walk-in clients.
Gerones said the agency is focusing on the yield of the rice production in the region, as it continues to be dependent on other regions, such as Region 12, among others, which is more than 100% sufficient.
As of 2025, the region’s rice sufficiency level is only 56%, attributed to the area of rice plantation.
Since the region cannot expand to the rice area, as its strength is more in high-value crops, Gerones said the agency is working on increasing the yield.
The agency is developing the techno-demo for rice varieties and the provision of fertilizers, focused on the maximum yield.
“Those varieties that we get from techno-demo, mao to among gipresent sa farmers, so our challenge is how the farmers adapt to these new varieties,” she said.
The agency provides hybrid rice seeds of one bag per hectare, and fertilizers for inbred varieties, and fertilizer assistance to techno-demo fields.
