MANILA – The Philippines’ agricultural production rose 1.47 percent in the first quarter of 2018 from a year earlier, driven by gains in crop, livestock and poultry sectors, the statistics agency said.
That marks the fifth straight quarter of increased output in agriculture, although the percentage gain was the smallest of those five periods, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
Agricultural production amounted to P444.0 billion in the quarter, up 8.94 percent from a year earlier.
Crop output, accounting for 54 percent of total agricultural production, grew 1.8 percent, with the paddy rice harvest up 4.6 percent. Livestock was up 2.1 percent and poultry climbed 5.2 percent, but fisheries output contracted 4.6 percent.
According to the PSA, there was a drop in fisheries production in January to March.
“Except for skipjack and seaweed, all the major species recorded lower production levels,” it said.
Despite the contraction in the output, the subsector grossed P58.8 billion during the period, 4.63 percent higher than the same quarter last year.
Agricultural output has accounted for about a tenth of gross domestic product in recent quarters. (GMA News)
