A. TOTAL AGRICULTURAL TRADE

1. Total agricultural trade expanded by 19.8 percent

The country’s total agricultural trade in 2021, which amounted to USD 22.49 billion, rose at an annual rate of 19.8 percent. In 2020, total trade recorded an annual decrement of -7.1 percent, while in 2019, total agricultural trade increased by 4.9 percent.

In 2021, agricultural exports and imports were recorded at USD 6.79 billion (30.2%) and USD 15.71 billion (69.8%), respectively. (Figure 1, Tables A and 1)

2. Agricultural trade balance increased by 39.9 percent

In 2021, the total balance of trade in agricultural goods was USD -8.92 billion. This reflects a deficit with an annual increment of 39.9 percent. In 2020, the annual decrease in the trade deficit was recorded at -7.0 percent, while in 2019, the trade deficit posted an annual decline of -2.4 percent. (Tables A and 1)

B. AGRICULTURAL EXPORT

1. Agricultural export rose by 9.4 percent

The country’s agricultural export revenue went up to USD 6.79 billion or 9.4 percent in 2021, from USD 6.20 billion agricultural export revenue in 2020. During the period, the value of agricultural export accounted for 9.1 percent to the total export of the country. (Figure 2, Tables A and 1)

2. Agricultural export of edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons commodity group contributed the largest share to total agricultural export

The total value of agricultural exports of the top 10 commodity groups was USD 6.49 billion or 95.7 percent of the total agricultural export revenue in 2021. The combined export value of these top 10 commodity groups posted an annual increment of 9.1 percent during the year.

Among the commodity groups, edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons, which was valued at USD 1.93 billion, comprised the largest share of 28.5 percent to the total agricultural exports. (Figure 3 and Table 3)

3. Malaysia led as a trading partner in agricultural exports among ASEAN member countries

The country’s agricultural exports to ASEAN member countries in 2021 amounted to USD 767.01 million which accounted for 6.3 percent of the total exports to ASEAN member countries. Among ASEAN member countries, Malaysia was the top destination of agricultural exports worth USD 247.95 million or a share of 32.3 percent to the total agricultural exports to ASEAN member countries. (Figure 4 and Table 7)

4. Tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes commodity group was the top agricultural export to ASEAN member countries

The top three major agricultural commodities exported to ASEAN member countries in 2021 were:

a. tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes, USD 253.85 million;
b. animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes, USD 192.31 million; and
c. preparations of cereals, flour, starch or milk; pastrycooks’ products, USD 62.51 million. (Table 7)

5. Netherlands was the country’s major trading partner in the export of agricultural goods among EU member countries

Exports of agricultural goods to European Union member countries in 2021 was valued at USD 1.39 billion which accounted for 16.3 percent of the country’s total exports to EU member countries.

Among the EU member countries, Netherlands was the country’s top buyer of agricultural commodities worth USD 698.11 million, or 50.3 percent of the total agricultural exports to EU member countries. (Figure 5 and Table 9)

6. Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes commodity group was the top agricultural export to EU member countries

The top three major agricultural commodities exported to EU member countries in 2021 were:
a. animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes, USD 667.62 million;
b. preparations of meat, of fish or of crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic invertebrates, USD 220.66 million; and
c. preparation of vegetables, fruit, nuts or other parts of plants, USD 155.19 million. (Table 9)

C. AGRICULTURAL IMPORT

1. Agricultural import went up by 24.9 percent

The total agricultural import was valued at USD 15.71 billion or a share of 13.3 percent to the country’s total imports in 2021. It increased by 24.9 percent compared with its value of USD 12.58 billion in 2020. (Figure 6, Tables A and 1).

2. Cereals commodity group contributed the highest value of agricultural imports

The total value of agricultural imports of the top 10 commodity groups was USD 13.58 billion or 86.4 percent of the total agricultural import revenue in 2021. The combined export value of these top 10 commodity groups posted an annual increment of 27.2 percent during the year.

Among the major commodity groups, cereals worth USD 3.15 billion accounted for the largest share of 20.0 percent to the total agricultural imports in 2021. (Figure 7 and Table 5)

3. Indonesia accounted for the highest import value among ASEAN member countries

The country’s agricultural imports from ASEAN member countries in 2021 amounted to USD 5.44 billion or 16.8 percent of the total imports. Indonesia, which contributed USD 1.65 billion or 30.3 percent of the total agricultural imports from ASEAN member countries, was the major source of agricultural products in 2021. (Figure 8 and Table 8)

4. Animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes commodity group led import of agricultural commodities from ASEAN member countries

The top three imported agricultural goods from ASEAN member countries in 2021 were:

a. animal or vegetable fats and oils and their cleavage products; prepared edible fats; animal or vegetable waxes, USD 1.44 billion;
b. miscellaneous edible preparations, USD 1.27 billion; and
c. cereals, USD 1.18 billion. (Table 8)

5. Spain topped EU member countries in agricultural imports

The country’s agricultural imports from EU member countries amounted to USD 1.62 billion or a share of 19.6 percent to the total imports in 2021. Among EU member countries, Spain was the country’s top supplier of agricultural commodities with an import value of USD 333.49 million or a share of 20.6 percent to the total agricultural imports from EU member countries. (Figure 9 and Table 10)

6. Meat and edible meat offal commodity group topped agricultural imports from EU member countries

The top three agricultural commodities imported from EU member countries in 2021 were:

a. meat and edible meat offal, USD 587.39 million;
b. dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere classified, USD 277.17 million; and
c. residues and waste from the food industries; prepared animal fodder, USD 181.41 million. (Table 10)

DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General

EXPLANATORY NOTES

This Special Release features the annual figures for the 2021 export and import statistics of agricultural commodities of the Philippines. The agricultural exports and imports contained in this report are based on the information in the administrative documents collected from the Bureau of Customs.

Commodity Classification

The commodities are classified in accordance with the 10-digit 2019 Philippine Standard Commodity Classification (PSCC). The agricultural commodity groups are those in chapters 01 to 24 of the 2019 PSCC. These chapters pertain to commodity classifications for live animals, meat and edible meat offal, fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates, dairy produce; birds’ eggs; natural honey; edible products of animal origin, not elsewhere classified, products of animal origin, not elsewhere specified or included, vegetables products, edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers, edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons, coffee, tea, mate and spices, cereals, malt, starches, inulin, wheat gluten, oil seeds and oleaginous fruits, miscellaneous grains, seeds and fruit, industrial or medicinal plants, straw and fodder, lac, gums, resins, gum-resins and oleoresins, vegetable plaiting materials, animal or vegetable fats and oils, waxes, prepared foodstuffs, beverages, spirits, vinegar, and tobacco (manufactured and unmanufactured).

Valuation

The valuation used for foreign trade of agricultural commodities adopts the World Trade Organization agreement on customs valuation and this applies to both imports and exports. Exports of agricultural commodities utilized the free on board (FOB) value, also known as the cost of goods. FOB is the value of the goods free on board the carrier at the frontier of the exporting country. It includes inland freight, export duty, and other expenses. Ocean freight, insurance, and consular fees, however, are excluded. Moreover, imports of agricultural commodities use the FOB values which include the transaction value of the goods, the value of services performed to deliver goods to the border of the exporting country, and the value of services performed to deliver the goods from the border of the exporting country to the border of the importing country.¹

Dissemination of Results

All documents (hard copies and electronic files) received within the year 2021, including those documents received from January 2022 to February 2022 with 2021 as date of lodgement, are part of this annual report.

The annual export and import statistics for agricultural commodities in the Philippines are disseminated in the form of Special Release (SR). The annual SR is posted four months after the reference year at the PSA website (https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/annual-foreign-trade).

Data requests on imports and exports of agricultural commodities can be made at the PSA through the Trade Statistics Division of the Economic Sector Statistics Service with telephone number (02) 8376-1975 or email address tsd.staff@psa.gov.ph.

¹ Source: IMTS Concepts and Definitions 2010, page 40 chapter 4. The value of transaction is expressed in US dollar.