RP farm output rises despite El Nino

RP farm output rises despite El Nino

MANILA: Philippines farm output rose 2.4 percent from a year earlier in the first half of 2003 despite a widespread dry spell, the agriculture department said on Monday.

Agriculture Secretary Luis Lorenzo said drought associated with the El Nino phenomenon reduced yields in the country's major rice-growing regions, leading to a 5.13 percent fall in rice output in unmilled terms.

Production gains in bananas, coconuts, pineapples and hemp brought some relief, he added.

"By all indications, a 2.4 percent growth is still remarkable because even with an unfavorable climate, we've managed to move the farm and fishery sector forward," Lorenzo said in a statement.

Agriculture, which accounts for just under 20 percent of the Philippines's gross domestic product, rose 3.22 percent in the six months of 2002. -- AFP