Aquaculture is expected to post the highest growth rate among agriculture sub-sectors this year at 8.2 percent, the Department of Agriculture said.

Following aquaculture are banana at 6.2 percent, poultry at 5.4 percent, and municipal fisheries at 4.7 percent, the department said.

With nearly all available rice land already utilized, the rice sub-sector may post a 4.4 percent growth this year. The department said this would still be higher that the average annual global growth in rice production of only about 2.5 percent.

The department said the overall growth rate of the agriculture sector would be about four percent, to be driven by a seven-point blueprint focused on infrastructure programs for the farm and fisheries sectors.

The department has been particularly optimistic about mariculture ? the raising of aquatic animals in saltwater.

Department officials last month toured Asian investors in key provinces, including southern Samal Island, to encourage them to put up hatcheries and post-harvest facilities like chillers and ports.

Also last month, the department announced the opening of a new marine finfish hatchery in the southern province of Misamis Occidental through the joint efforts of the provincial government, the Australian government and the Southeast Asia Fisheries Development Center.

The P8.8-million hatchery was built through a joint partnership with the Australian government through the Philippines-Australia Local Sustainability (PALS) program, which allocated P5.56 million for the project.

The Misamis Occidental provincial government shouldered the P2.44-million counterpart fund to complete the hatchery, the department said.