THE agricultural goods trade deficit widened 12% year on year in April to $859.04 million, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.
Agricultural exports in April rose 8.7% to $743.22 million, the PSA said, accounting for 11% of total exports. As a share of the $2.35 billion two-way trade in farm products, exports accounted for 31.7%.
Agricultural imports fell 3.5% year on year in April to $1.60 billion. Farm goods accounted for 15.6% of all Philippine imports that month.
The $2.35 billion in agriculture trade in April was up 1% year on year. In March 2025 and April 2024, trade had risen 16.5% and 25.6%, respectively.
“In March 2025 and April 2024, the trade deficit registered annual increases of 11.1% and 8.4%, respectively.”
The PSA said exports of animal, vegetable, or microbial fats and oils and their cleavage products, prepared edible fats, and animal or vegetable waxes were valued at $256.47 million, accounting for 34.5% of agricultural exports for the period.
Agricultural shipments to ASEAN in April hit $47.90 million, with Malaysia accounting for $15.25 million or 31.8% of the total.
The Netherlands accounted for $99.04 million or 63.6% of Philippine agricultural exports to the European Union (EU). EU purchases totaled $155.82 million.
The PSA said cereals accounted for $356.63 million or 22.3% of all agricultural imports in April.
Vietnam accounted for $276.73 million or 39.9% of Philippine agricultural imports from ASEAN.
Spain was the Philippines’ top EU supplier of agricultural commodities, with imports valued at $34.12 million.
The top agricultural commodities imported from the EU were meat and edible meat offal, dairy produce, birds’ eggs, natural honey, edible products of animal origin, and residues and waste from the food industries. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza