"The Department of Agriculture wants to achieve a 5.3% growth [in agriculture for 2008]," Gil A. Adora, assistant director of the Fisheries bureau, told Business World.
According to Business World, Mr. Adora said the fisheries subsector must be able to grow 12% this year if the 5.3% target for the entire farm sector is to be achieved.
In the first half, however, the fisheries subsector, which accounts for 26.68% of total agriculture output, posted 2.74% growth, down from 7.22% in the same period last year, a data from the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics show. Aquaculture production contributed the highest growth of 4.11% in the first half, compared with 1.28% and 1.18% in commercial and municipal fisheries, respectively.
"We are really having problems on how to achieve this [12% target], recognizing [sic] that there are a lot of typhoons," Mr. Adora said.
Philippines Press for Growth Target Review
PHILIPPINES - Philippine officials have said that they are pushing for a review of fisheries and aquaculture targets after difficult conditions have made them unattainable.