MANILA (Dow Jones)--Philippine paddy rice output in the first six months of the year rose 2.88% to 6.72 million metric tons, the agriculture department said Monday.

Production in the January to June period was mostly unaffected by a prevailing drought, the department said, although the dry spell is likely to reduce production in the second half of the year.
Last month, the department revised down paddy rice production growth for the year to 2.5%-3% from an earlier forecast of 5%. Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said a worst-case scenario would mean even lower output growth of 1.5%-2%.
Rice accounts for around 18% of the country's agricultural output.
A major buyer of rice in Asia, the Philippines has imported 1.61 million tons of the grain so far this year, mostly from Vietnam.

Dow Jones Newswires