Philippines' Q4 year-on-year agricultural output growth slows to 1.8 percent
PHILIPPINES (Reuters) - In advance of an announcement about the country's fourth-quarter GDP, The Philippines reported slow gains in its agricultural sector
23 January 2019
2 minute read
By: The Philippines' agricultural output grew 1.8 percent in the last quarter of 2018, slower that the 2.3-percent growth in the same quarter in 2017 but rebounding from the previous quarter's 0.8-percent contraction, the country's statistics agency said on 23 January.
All four subsectors - crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries - contributed to higher production in the fourth quarter.
The paddy rice harvest in the December quarter fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier, bringing full-year production to 19.1 million tonnes, below the government's forecast of 19.2 million tonnes and the previous year's 19.3 million tonnes.
The nation's agriculture sector is expected to post 2.5-3.5 percent growth in output this year, with rice production projected to hit an all-time high of 20 million tonnes, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Pinol said last month.
Agricultural output has accounted for about a tenth of the country's gross domestic product in recent years. The government will release fourth-quarter GDP data on Thursday.
Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz; Editing by Joseph Radford
Ryan Johnson
Ryan worked in conservation from 2008 to 2017, during which time he operated a rainbow trout hatchery and helped to maintain public and protected green spaces in Canada for the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. As editor of The Poultry Site, he now writes about challenges and opportunities in agriculture across the globe.
