April 3 (Bloomberg) -- Peru's oil and liquid-gas production fell to a four-year low in March because of a plant failure and protests at Pluspetrol SA's fields.

Output dropped 16.1 percent to 95,755 barrels a day as mechanical problems at Buenos Aires-based Pluspetrol's Camisea liquid-gas plant and protests at its Block 1-AB oilfield curbed production last month, state oil-licensing agency Perupetro said today in an e-mailed statement.

The six-day protest at Block 1-AB, which left at least 1 person dead and 27 wounded, reflected growing demands from workers for a bigger share of earnings after oil prices doubled over the past two years.

``These protests are growing worse in Latin America,'' Rafael Samaniego, a consultant and former president of Perupetro, the state's oil contracting agency, said in a telephone interview. ``And we're not capable of fighting against them.''

Natural-gas production rose 5.5 percent to 285.5 million cubic feet a day in March from the previous month as Pluspetrol increased sales to power plants operated by Endesa SA and Suez SA. Peru is South America's natural gas producer.

Crude oil for May delivery fell 98 cents to $103.85 a barrel at 2:24 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Oil is up 61 percent from a year ago.

To contact the reporter for this story: Alex Emery in Lima at aemery1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: April 3, 2008 14:35 EDT