The Philippine agriculture sector expanded by 3.5 percent in the first half of this year, slower than last year's 5.24 percent, and may face difficulty sustaining high growth levels by the end of the year due to the drought, local newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The fisheries sector contributed significantly to much of the growth in the first half as fisheries picked up by 7.19 percent to 43.541 billion pesos (955 million U.S. dollars), said a report by The Manila Bulletin daily.
Moreover, the livestock sector also pulled up farm performance with a growth of 2.58 percent largely owing to a hog advancement of 3.06 percent to 16.655 billion pesos (365 million U.S. dollars), said the report.
Rice production posted a 2.88 percent growth in the first six months of the year to 6.727 million metric tons (MT), and with the drought, rice might be one of the most adversely hit. From a production figure of 15.2 million MT in 2006, growth may slow to 15.43--15.73 million MT compared to the targeted 16.2--16.3 million MT.
Experiencing a production cutback in the same period are coconut which is still suffering the adverse effects of last year's typhoon devastation, 4.93 percent, 6.72 million MT, and sugarcane, down by 5.66 percent to 14.319 million MT.
Department of Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap was quoted as saying that the government has been putting all efforts to make up for any loss that may occur due to the dry spell including implementation of quick turn around (QTA) schemes on rice and corn. QTAs insert additional cropping on the normal two seasons of rice and corn in a year.
Yap admitted the difficulty of achieving the 4-5 percent growth target until yearend. "We'll be hard-pressed achieving the original production figure," he said.
Source: Xinhua
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