BERLIN (Reuters) -Germany's BASF said first-quarter adjusted earnings fell 5.3% year on year, primarily due to higher bonus provisions, but still came in above analysts' consensus.

In a statement on Thursday, the German chemicals giant said quarterly earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), adjusted for one-off items, was 2.7 billion euros ($2.89 billion), above the average analyst estimate of 2.57 billion, according to a consensus posted on the company's website.

Sales fell by about 12% to 17.6 billion euros in the first quarter, as BASF feels the effect of lower prices in almost all segments, missing forecasts for 18.6 billion euros.

The company also confirmed its previous adjusted earnings forecast for between 8 billion and 8.6 billion euros in 2024, up from 7.67 billion last year.

($1 = 0.9340 euros)