The country’s agriculture and livestock sector recorded a strong performance in the third quarter of this year. There was an increase in the production of vegetables, cereals, meat, and dairy products. The Third Quarterly Integrated Agriculture and Livestock Survey showed that potatoes and maize were the dominant crops in production, while the livestock sector experienced a substantial increase in pork output.
According to the National Statistics Bureau, potato production recorded the highest output during the third quarter with nearly 24,000 metric tonnes or 2400 truckloads harvested across the country.
This marks an increase of almost 10,000 metric tonnes compared to the second quarter.
Maize remained the top cereal crop, with more than 18,600 metric tonnes harvested, four times higher than in the previous quarter.
Other cereals produced during the period were paddy, wheat, barley, millet, and buckwheat.
Meat production rose to more than 1,700 metric tonnes, largely driven by increased pork production.
Pork production reached over 850 metric tonnes in the third quarter, compared to less than 400 metric tonnes in the previous quarter.
However, egg production declined, with around 19 million eggs recorded in the third quarter, down by more than six million eggs compared to the second quarter.
Among fruits, apples recorded the highest production with over 1,500 metric tonnes. Banana, pear, areca-nut, guava, and mango were also among the major fruits harvested during the quarter.
The survey was conducted nationwide, covering more than 10,500 respondents.