UPDATE 2-Russian March oil output falls again, exports recover

(Adds figures by companies, gas output)

MOSCOW, April 2 (Reuters) - Russia failed to grow its oil output for a third month in a row in March and closed the first quarter with a one percent production decline year-on-year, confirming gloomy outlook by analysts for the whole of 2008.

Energy Ministry data showed on Wednesday March oil production edged down to 9.76 million barrels per day from 9.79 million bpd in February, and well below the post Soviet high of 9.93 million bpd reached in October last year.

In absolute figures, March production was over 5 million barrels - the size of five large tankers - down from October.

Since October, oil production in Russia has been balancing between decline and stagnation, prompting many analysts to revise down their oil production forecasts for 2008.

Credit Suisse said last week it expected oil output to fall by 0.5 percent this year, down from its earlier growth prediction of 0.7 percent.

Also last week, UBS said that Russian oil production might drop in excess of one percent this year if oil companies fail to drill thousands of news wells.

The data showed first quarter output amounted to 9.77 million bpd, down one percent from 9.86 million bpd in the same year-ago period.

Russian energy and economy ministries expect oil output to grow by 1.7 percent this year after an increase of 2.3 percent in 2007 and much bigger spikes in previous years, including a record 11 percent in 2003.