MANILA - The Philippines' agricultural output grew 1.8 percent in the last quarter of 2018, slower than the 2.3-percent growth in the same quarter in 2017 but rebounding from the previous quarter's
0.8-percent contraction, the country's statistics agency said on Wednesday.

All four subsectors - crops, livestock, poultry and fisheries - contributed to higher production in the fourth quarter.

The paddy rice harvest in the December quarter fell 2.2 percent from a year earlier, bringing full-year production to 19.1 million tons, below the government's forecast of 19.2 million tons and the previous year's 19.3 million tonnes.

The nation's agriculture sector is expected to post 2.5-3.5 percent growth in output this year, with rice production projected to hit an all-time high of 20 million tons, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said last month.

Agricultural output has accounted for about a tenth of the country's gross domestic product in recent years. The government will release fourth-quarter GDP data on Thursday.