Agricultural production in January-October this year grew 4.4 per cent compared with the same period last year, driven by the sustained increase in the livestock subsector in 4.9 per cent and arable subsector of 4.0 per cent, said the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to the Office of Economic and Statistical Studies (EEO), the dynamism of the livestock sector is influencing the increased production of livestock as the national poultry industry is growing and the national herds of pigs and cows are growing. In contrast, egg production decreased by 1.9 per cent in the last ten months of this year compared to the same period last year.

Arable growth is explained by the increased production of potato, rice husk, olive, grape, banana and yellow corn.

In the same period there was a decline in coffee production, due to lower prices, Mangos, due to bad weather, raw cotton, sweetpotatoes and garlic.

It is notable that according to reports from the EEO, the growth rate of agricultural production for the period January to October 2012 (4.4 per cent) was slightly above the average annual rates of the same period in the last ten years (3.8 per cent).