MANILA – Farm output grew 0.67 percent in the January to March period, slowing from 1.08 percent during the same period in 2018, the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.
Three sub-sectors – livestock, poultry, fisheries – posted growth, while crops, which accounts for about half of agriculture’s total output, contracted by a percent, the DA said.
Paddy rice harvest during the March quarter dropped 4.46 percent from a year earlier to 4.417 million tons, below the agency’s forecast of 4.645 million ton for the period based on standing crop, the DA said.
Agricultural output accounted for about a tenth of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in the recent years. The government will release first-quarter GDP data on Thursday.
Economic growth probably slowed to 6.1 percent during the March
quarter from a year earlier, a Reuters’ poll showed down from 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter, partly due to a delay in approval of the national budget. (Reuters)
