Philippines Hopeful Of Achieving Rice Output Target

The Philippines government has announced that it remains hopeful of hitting its paddy rice output target for the year, despite an expected sharp reduction in the use of fertilizer amid surging prices.

According to Philippines Department of Agriculture, output in the first six months of the year may have reached 7.3 million MT, up 9% from the same period last year. But the department could miss its production target of 10 million MT for the second half of the year following a steep rise in petroleum-based fertilizer prices.