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