MANILA: The Philippine agriculture posted a 0.96 percent contraction in output in the fourth quarter of 2015 due to the effect of El Nino, a senior government official said Friday.
“The sector’s performance was negatively affected by the long dry spell and damage caused by Typhoon Lando. In particular, the crops and fisheries subsectors recorded lower production for the quarter,” agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said.
He added that at current prices, gross value of production amounted to 448 billion pesos (9.38 billion U.S. dollars) or 6.64 percent lower than a year earlier.
On an annual basis, agricultural production grew by 0.11 percent.
The crops subsector, which accounted for 51.83 percent of the total agricultural production during the quarter, recorded a 2.69 percent decline in output.
