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Farm output growth slows to 0.67 percent in first quarter

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Reuters

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2019/reuters/05/08/20180831-agriculture-rice-rtr-3.jpg"/><figcaption>Farmers tend to their rice crops in Oriental Mindoro province. Farm output in the first quarter of 2019 contracted from the same period in 2018. Erik de Castro, Reuters/File</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA -- Farm output grew 0.67 percent in the January to March period, slowing from 1.08 percent during the same period in 2018, the Department of Agriculture said Wednesday.Three sub-sectors — livestock, poultry, fisheries — posted growth, while crops, which accounts for about half of agriculture&#x27;s total output, contracted by a percent, the DA said.Paddy rice harvest during the March quarter dropped 4.46 percent from a year earlier to 4.417 million tons, below the agency&#x27;s forecast of 4.645 million ton for the period based on standing crop, the DA said.Agricultural output accounted for about a tenth of the country&#x27;s gross domestic product (GDP) in the recent years. The government will release first-quarter GDP data on Thursday.Economic growth probably slowed to 6.1 percent during the March quarter from a year earlier, a Reuters&#x27; poll showed down from 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter, partly due to a delay in approval of the national budget.

Three sub-sectors — livestock, poultry, fisheries — posted growth, while crops, which accounts for about half of agriculture's total output, contracted by a percent.

Three sub-sectors — livestock, poultry, fisheries — posted growth, while crops, which accounts for about half of agriculture's total output, contracted by a percent.