The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has reported a significant increase in the production of palay, or unmilled rice, in the second quarter. Palay output rose 5.7% year on year, reaching 4.63 million metric tons (MMT).
The increased production was attributed to the harvesting of palay across 1.04 million hectares, up 6.5% year on year. This surpasses the PSA's forecast of 1.03 million hectares. The palay output is roughly level with the PSA's estimate, which was based on an evaluation of the standing crop.
Corn output for the second quarter also showed a notable increase, rising 0.8% year on year to 1.51 MMT. This exceeds the PSA's estimate of 1.49 MMT. Corn was harvested from 416.79 thousand hectares, up 3.5% year on year, surpassing the PSA's projected harvested area of 416.16 thousand hectares.
Cagayan Valley emerged as the top palay producer in the second quarter, with 1.20 MMT of production. It also topped the list for corn production, with 497.62 thousand metric tons (MT). Nueva Ecija was the top palay producing province, with 752.75 thousand MT, while Isabela led in corn production with 238.88 thousand MT.
The rising year-on-year production is attributed to several factors, according to Arnel V. De Mesa, Agriculture spokesman and assistant secretary for Special Concerns and Official Development Assistance. He noted that the repair of the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation System (UPRIIS) allowed for the restoration of 30,000 hectares that were previously left unirrigated.
Additionally, strong palay prices during the dry season harvest boosted planting intentions among farmers. This trend is expected to continue, with farmers expected to continue planting this season.
