Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries raised production 1.6 percent in October in advance of the group's pledge to increase supplies starting this month, a Bloomberg News Survey showed.

OPEC pumped an average 31.16 million barrels a day last month, up 495,000 barrels from September, according to the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts. The 10 members with production quotas, all except Angola and Iraq, increased output by 305,000 barrels to 27.135 million barrels a day, the highest since October 2006.

The 10, in an effort to lower prices that threaten global economic growth, agreed at a Sept. 11 meeting to raise production by 500,000 barrels a day to 27.253 million starting Nov. 1. October output was 118,000 barrels a day short of the new quota.

``Everyone is chipping in,'' said Rick Mueller, an analyst with Energy Security Analysis Inc. in Wakefield, Massachusetts. ``OPEC and especially the Saudis don't want to see $100 oil. There are implications for demand and they don't want to see alternate sources of energy developed.''

Crude oil touched a record $96.24 barrel on Nov. 1 in New York amid concern Turkish troops would enter northern Iraq to attack Kurdish separatists. Crude oil for December delivery fell $1.95, or 2 percent, to settle at $93.98 today on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

OPEC Meetings

OPEC plans to hold a heads of state summit on Nov. 17-18 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the third such meeting since the organization was founded in 1960. Venezuela and Algeria hosted previous summits in 1975 and 2000. The group will also hold a ministerial meeting on Dec. 5 in Abu Dhabi.

The group will have to tackle individual country allocations. Following the September agreement to raise output targets OPEC published a table of quota allocations on its Web site. The table was withdrawn following protests from Venezuela and others who argued the published quotas were not official.

OPEC last year pledged to trim 1.7 million barrels a day of production to bolster prices in two rounds of cuts.

Eleven members increased production last month. The only exception was Indonesia, where output was unchanged at 825,000 barrels a day. Saudi Arabia and Iraq had the biggest gains in October, with each increasing output by 100,000 barrels a day.

Saudi Production

Saudi Arabia, OPEC's largest producer and the world's top oil exporter, pumped an average 8.75 million barrels a day in October, the highest since November 2006, the survey showed. By the end of the month the desert kingdom was producing 8.88 million barrels a day. Saudi Arabia's new production target is estimated to be 8.94 million barrels a day.

United Arab Emirates production rose 50,000 barrels a day to 2.59 million barrels last month, the survey showed. Abu Dhabi increased production in October before maintenance that was expected to cut U.A.E. output this month. The maintenance program will trim output from the Upper Zakum, Lower Zakum and Umm Shaif oil fields by 600,000 barrels a day in November.

``OPEC production may drop in November because of maintenance in the U.A.E.,'' Mueller said. ``The Saudis might find it hard to make up for all of the missing barrels.''

Nigerian production rose 30,000 barrels to an average 2.18 million barrels a day last month, the survey showed. Higher exports from the Forcados terminal were partially offset by the forced closure of the Okono and Okpono fields.

Iraq and Angola, the two members without production targets, increased production by 190,000 barrels a day.

Iraqi Output

Iraqi output rose 4.6 percent to an average 2.28 million barrels a day last month, the highest since April 2004, the survey showed. Iraqi September production was revised 100,000 barrels higher because of stronger-than-expected domestic demand.

Exports from Iraq averaged 1.78 million barrels a day in October, up 101,000 barrels from September. Exports from Iraq's two Persian Gulf ports, Basrah and Khor al Amaya, averaged 1.53 million barrels a day in October, up 20,000 barrels from the prior month. Iraq's over-land exports to Syria were unchanged at 12,000 barrels a day.

Exports from Iraq's northern fields rose from 79,000 barrels to 237,000 barrels a day last month. The September export figure was revised down from 158,000 barrels a day. The pipelines connecting the northern fields to Turkey's Ceyhan export terminal on the Mediterranean Sea have been repeatedly damaged in insurgent attacks.

Angola

Angola increased production by 90,000 barrels to 1.75 million barrels a day in October, following the startup of the Greater Plutonio field. A deep-water field, operated by BP Plc, began production on Oct. 1 and is currently pumping about 100,000 barrels of crude oil a day.

Exxon Mobil Corp. began production from the Marimba North project ahead of schedule in late October. The project will add about 40,000 barrels of crude oil a day to November production.

Angola has steadily increased production this year, with output 240,000 barrels a day higher than when the country joined OPEC in January. Loading schedules show Angolan output rising a further 180,000 barrels a day in the last two months of the year.

To contact the reporters on this story: Mark Shenk and Diane Munro in New York at mshenk1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 5, 2007 16:27 EST