Philippine farm output slowed significantly in the first semester from a year ago even before the onset of the dry spell, making the target set by the Department of Agriculture for the year difficult to attain.

In a briefing Monday, Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said the farm sector grew 3.5 percent in the six months to June, lower than 5.24 percent in the same period in 2006.

Although agriculture produc¬tion expanded 3.64 percent from April to June, it performed slower than 6.64 percent in the same period last year.

The sector, which contributes a fifth of the domestic economy, was expected to grow 4 percent to 5 percent this year, a target Yap said may not be realized due to a prolonged dry spell.

“We will have difficulty reaching some target, so there will be a change in the target figure. We don’t like to delve on that right now, we don’t want to speculate,” Yap told re¬porters.

The Bureau of Agricultural Statistics data revealed that in first half, only poultry enjoyed a favorable growth rate, as crops, livestock and fishery subsectors suffered lower growth rates than a year ago.

Fishery, however, netted the highest gain at 7.19 percent as of end-June. Commercial fishing posted the biggest production in¬crease, with volume rising at 10.8 percent.

Municipal fishing came next with a 6.92-percent increase in output, while aquaculture expanded 5.77 percent.

At current prices, the fisheries subsector generated P9.18-billion worth of gross output, up by 12.26 percent a year ago’s record.

While the livestock subsector grew 2.58 percent during the semester, poultry output posted a dramatic recovery from a year-ago slump, rising 0.22 percent.

Carabao output also went up by 3.94 percent to, dairy output by 3.84 percent and hog output by 4.88 percent at current prices.

High-value commercial crops such as mango, cassava, onion, eggplant, and rubber more than doubled their growth compared with their output in the same semester last year.

Total production of palay during the period grew 2.75 million metric tons, while that of corn rose 5.69 percent.