November 16, 2009

Philippine farm output growth in the first nine months of the year slowed to 1.50 percent from a year earlier on dismal production in the crops subsector, which contracted 0.15 percent during the period, the agriculture department said Monday (November 16).

Paddy rice output in the January to September period expanded 2.90 percent to 10.89 million tonnes, while corn production improved by 0.76 percent to 5.59 million tonnes.

But such improvements weren't enough to offset output contraction in several high-value crops such as sugar cane and mangoes, leading to negative growth in crop production, which accounts for about 50 percent of the country's total farm output.

Growth of 1.95 percent in the livestock subsector and a 3.49 percent improvement in the poultry sector during the period cushioned the output contraction in the crops subsector. Farm output grew 4.16 percent in the first nine months of 2008.

The fisheries subsector, contributing 27 percent of total farm output, expanded 3.28 percent.