Agriculture

Despite the accelerated growth of other industries in recent decades, agriculture remains a pillar of the Philippine economy, providing employment for 27% of the labour force in 2016, according to the most recent data from the Philippine Statistics Authority. Although the sector’s contribution to GDP has declined in recent decades, falling from over 30% in the 1970s to 9.65% in 2016, there have been recent signs of revitalisation. The previously sluggish sector grew by 6.20% in the second quarter of 2017, with gross output increasing by 3.95% throughout the year, on the back of improved performances in palay, corn, sugarcane, poultry, agricultural services and forestry. This chapter contains an interview with Emmanuel Piñol, Secretary of Agriculture.