Other Crops total production of SOCCSKSARGEN Region in first quarter 2024 decreased by 3.1 percent compared to the same period in 2023. Non-Food and Industrial Commercial Crops (NFICCs) slightly decrease by 0.1% or 118.8 MT, Fruit Crops and Vegetables and Root Crops (VRC) decreased by 4.5% and 33.0% or 21,609.3 MT and 10,860.1 MT, respectively. on the same reference period.

The Labor Force Survey (LFS) is a quarterly survey of households conducted nationwide by the PSA to gather data on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population. It adopted the 2013 Master Sample Design, with a sample size of approximately 44,000 households nationwide. The PSA makes use of the tablets through the Computer Aided Personal Interviewing (CAPI) in the quarterly field enumeration starting in the January 2017 round of the LFS.

Merchandise Trade The export value decreased by 18.1 percent to US$1133.361 million in August 2023 from US$162.881 million in August 2022. The volume of exports totaled up to 133.304 million kilograms in August 2023 from 137.308 million kilograms the previous year. The value of imports slightly increased by 1.1 percent to US$87.546 million in August 2023 from US$86.630 million in August 2022. Imports volume was up to 174.868 million kilograms in August 2023 from 204.418 million kilograms in August 2022.

The export value decreased by 1.5 percent to US$119.792 million in July 2023 from US$121.555 million in July 2022. The volume of exports totaled up to 117.288 million kilograms in July 2023 from 117.569 million kilograms the previous year. The value of imports decreased by 16.4 percent to US$79.429 million in July 2023 from US$95.028 million in July 2022. Imports volume was up to 157.705 million kilograms in July 2023 from 147.754 million kilograms in July 2022.

Exports value decreased by 30.0 percent to US$97.272 million in June 2023 from US$138.935 million in June 2022. The volume of exports totaled up to 88.801 million kilograms in June 2023 from 95.887 million kilograms the previous year. The value of imports decreased by 46.8 percent to US$72.868 million in June 2023 from US$136.971 million in June 2022. Imports volume was up to 224.682 million kilograms in June 2023 from 215.308 million kilograms in June 2022.

YEAR-ON-YEAR INFLATION RATE The Inflation Rate for the Bottom 30% Income Households in SOCCSKSARGEN Region increases to 5.8% in April 2024 from 5.1% in March 2024.

During the reference period, the total agricultural output of SOCCSKSARGEN Region decreased by about 0.6 percent from 7.46 million in 2022 to 7.42 million metric tons in 2023.

YEAR-ON-YEAR INFLATION RATES The Inflation Rate for the Bottom 30% Income Households in SOCCSKSARGEN Region eases to 5.0% in May 2024 from 5.8% in April 2024. From 2020 to 2023, the annual average Inflation Rate for the Bottom 30% Households in the region exhibited an uptrend from 4.0% in 2020 to 6.3% in 2023. From January 2020 to May 2024, the lowest monthly inflation was recorded in January 2020 at 1.7% while the highest was recorded in March 2023 at 8.4%.

The value of exports decreased by 40.3 percent to US$119.975 million in May 2023 from US$201.099 million in May 2022. The volume of exports totaled up to 107.515 million kilograms in May 2023 from 149.942 million kilograms the previous year. Imports value decreased by 60.1 percent to US$45.118 million in May 2023 from US$112.976 million in May 2022. Imports volume was up to 153.384 million kilograms in May 2023 from 201.223 million kilograms in May 2022.

Export value decreased by 56.3 percent to US$80.685 million in April 2023 from US$184.700 million in April 2022. The volume of exports totaled up to 76.239 million kilograms in April 2023 from 141.262 million kilograms the previous year. The value of imports decreased by 14.0 percent to US$85.555 million in April 2023 from US$99.524 million in April 2022. Imports volume was up to 148.064 million kilograms in April 2023 from 176.690 million kilograms in April 2022.