Excess rainfall drove a 6.4 per cent contraction in the other crops subsector in the first half of 2026, even as livestock production expanded by 17.5 per cent on poultry, egg and pork gains.

The other crops subsector was the single largest drag on the broader agriculture, forestry and fishing sector, which contracted marginally by 0.5 per cent over the period.

Sustained above-normal rainfall in the second quarter waterlogged cultivations, disrupted planting cycles and restricted field access, with output of spices, vegetables, cole crops and beans and cereals falling by 17.7 per cent, 4.2 per cent, 19.1 per cent and 5.7 per cent, respectively.

Root crops, fruits and coconuts bucked the trend, growing by 27.4 per cent, 14.5 per cent and 6.3 per cent. The subsector's full-year growth forecast has been revised down to 2.1 per cent, with anticipated El Niño conditions expected to bring heat stress later in the year.

Livestock Gains

Livestock output climbed on a 20.9 per cent rise in poultry meat production, aided by wider use of tunnel-ventilated pens and a lower incidence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Egg production rose 11 per cent and pork output surged 88.7 per cent on improved feed formulation, offsetting declines in beef, milk and mutton. The subsector's 2026 growth forecast now stands at 3.7 per cent.

Elsewhere, the sugar growing subsector expanded by 19.3 per cent, though GuySuCo's first-crop output of 19,031 tonnes was hampered by heavy rainfall, labour shortages and poor cane quality; full-year growth is now projected at 18.1 per cent. Rice grew 4.4 per cent, with first-crop production of 414,088 tonnes of rice equivalent and a yield of 6.7 tonnes per hectare, both above last year's levels.

Solid Growth

Fishing expanded by 4.1 per cent, driven by a 3.4 per cent rise in marine shrimp production and a 50.3 per cent jump in aquaculture output, which offset a 4.1 per cent decline in marine fish. Forestry grew 15.4 per cent, with 244,060 cubic metres of timber products produced, led by gains across logs, roundwood, sawnwood and fuelwood.