Western Visayas chicken output jumps 12.5% in Q2

By Mariela Angella Oladive

ILOILO CITY — Chicken production in Western Visayas increased 12.5% year on year in the second quarter of 2026, even as output of other major poultry commodities declined, preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.

The region produced 27,715 metric tons of chicken from April to June, up from 24,626 metric tons in the same quarter of 2025.

Nationally, overall poultry production rose 6.3% year on year to about 841,700 metric tons in the second quarter, while chicken egg production increased 13.2%.

As of July 1, Western Visayas had 12,139,229 chickens, with Iloilo accounting for the largest share at 54%, followed by Capiz at 20.1%.

Iloilo also led the region in inventories of layer, native/improved, and gamefowl chickens.

Of the region’s 1,073,780 layer chickens, Iloilo accounted for 40.8%, followed by Capiz at 29.3% and Antique at 16.8%.

For native/improved chickens, Iloilo accounted for 61% of the region’s 8,636,812 birds, followed by Capiz at 14.7% and Aklan at 10.3%.

Iloilo likewise had the largest share of the region’s 160,031 gamefowl chickens at 43.8%.

Capiz, however, led in broiler inventory, accounting for 36.4% of the region’s 2,268,606 broilers, followed by Iloilo at 33.9% and Aklan at 29.4%.

Chicken egg production declined 2.7% to 7,325 metric tons, 207 metric tons lower than the 7,532 metric tons recorded in the second quarter of 2025.

Duck production fell 13.7% to 450 metric tons from 521 metric tons a year earlier.

Duck egg production dropped 19% to 465 metric tons from 574 metric tons in the same period of 2025.

The region’s duck inventory stood at 594,334 birds as of July 1, with Iloilo and Capiz accounting for 35.3% and 28.7%, respectively.

Average farmgate prices of major poultry commodities also declined during the quarter.

The average farmgate price of duck eggs posted the steepest decline, falling 10.6% to PHP 9.32 per piece from PHP 10.43.

The average farmgate price of chicken eggs declined 5.8% to PHP 7.73 per piece from PHP 8.20.

The average farmgate price of duck fell 3.6% to PHP 236.98 per kilogram of live weight from PHP 245.86.

Broiler chicken posted a more modest 1.3% decline, with its average farmgate price falling to PHP 148.73 per kilogram of live weight from PHP 150.69.

Poultry dressing plants in Western Visayas processed 11,006,098 chickens during the second quarter, up by 767,345 birds, or 7.5%, from 10,238,753 birds in the same quarter of 2025.

The PSA defines poultry production volume as animals disposed of for slaughter or dressing, including those shipped elsewhere for slaughter or dressing, with chicken and duck output expressed in metric tons of live-weight equivalent.

The second-quarter figures are preliminary and were compiled from the PSA’s livestock and poultry household and establishment surveys.