Philippine agricultural output fell at an annual pace of 1.2% in the first quarter of 2020 as crops and fisheries production declined, the country's statistics agency said on Wednesday.
The Southeast Asian country's crops output, which accounted for more than half of the sector's total production, dropped 2.1%, led by paddy rice harvest which contracted by 3.6%, the Philippine Statistics Authority said.
Fisheries output declined 5.2%, but livestock and poultry production went up by 0.5% and 3.9%, respectively.
The government will release first-quarter GDP data on Thursday, with agriculture usually accounting for less than 10% of overall economic output.
The statistics agency said it has revised and rebased the country's national accounts, adopting 2018 as the new base year, based on which agriculture grew by an average of 2% at constant prices between 2000 and 2019.
(Reporting by Enrico dela Cruz)
