Domestic material extraction up 8.1% in 2024

THE domestic extraction of materials, which includes biomass, metal ores, non-metallic minerals and fossil fuels, rose 8.1% to 388.07 million metric tons (MMT) in 2024, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

In a report on Thursday, the PSA said the biggest increase in output was recorded in non-metallic minerals, where extraction grew 33.5% to 150.60 MMT.

Non-metallic minerals, which accounted for 38.8% of total materials extracted in 2023, include sand, gravel and clay, primarily used in construction, and other materials like decorative stones and raw materials for chemicals and fertilizers.

Among the non-metallic minerals, sand and gravel accounted for 71.8%, equivalent to 108.17 MMT.

The extraction of mineral ores, which include nickel, gold, copper, chromite and iron ores, rose 0.6% to 75.45 MT. The category accounted for 19.4% of total production in 2024.

Of the total output for mineral ores, 44.3% consisted of nickel, 32.1% gold and 23.3% copper.

Extraction of fossil fuels fell 10% to 19.55 MMT, accounting for 5% of total material production in 2024. The category includes coal, crude oil, natural gas and condensate. Among the fossil fuels, coal accounted for 90.3%, equiv-alent to 17.66 MMT.

Biomass extraction dipped 4.7% to 142.46 MMT. Biomass, which accounted for 36.7% of total output in 2024, includes biomass of vegetable origin extracted by humans and their livestock, capture of wild fish, and the biomass of hunted animals.

Some 56.3% of the biomass came from crops such as cereals, sugar crops, and oil-bearing crops while 41.4% was derived from crop residues and grazed biomass.

The PSA said domestic material consumption (DMC), which measures the total amount of materials directly used in an economy, rose 8.3% to 457.41 MMT.

Non-metallic minerals had the largest share, accounting for 36.6% of the total, followed by biomass with a 36.2% share.

Meanwhile, the PSA said material productivity, or the amount of economic output generated per unit of materials consumed, fell 2.4% to P48.63 per kilogram of materials used. — Vonn Andrei E. Villamiel