Philippines beats six-month rice output target

Output in the first half may have risen 9 per cent to 7.3 million metric tonnes, from 6.7 million tonnes a year earlier, the Agriculture Department said in a statement e-mailed yesterday. That compares with a January-to-June target of 7.1 million tonne.

The government aims to expand production to 10 million tonnes in the second half, from 9.5 million tonne a year ago, by providing fertiliser subsidies to farmers to make up for production losses caused by Typhoon Fengshen, according to the statement.

The typhoon caused more than 7 billion pesos ($153.5 million) of damage to crops and fisheries when it hit the Philippines on June 20 and 21, the government said.