Rice output up but still lower than year-ago level

The lower-than-expected crop losses from Typhoon “Lando” in October pushed up the projected Philippine milled rice output for July 2015 to June 2016 by 250,000 tons to 11.5 million tons, according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Citing data from the Philippine Department of Agriculture, the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) said the water supply windfall that Lando brought to irrigated farm areas also prompted the revision of the forecast.

“Torrential rainfall from the storm replenished important irrigation reservoirs, allowing for greater irrigated production this year,” the ERS said in an outlook report.

Even then, the projected output for the current crop year is still 3.5 percent below the previous volume—marking the first decline since the 2009-2010 production period.

The ERS said the estimated harvest area during the period increased by 300,000 hectares to 4.65 million hectares. This, however, was 7 percent below year-ago figure.

The projected average yield was pegged at 3.93 tons per hectare, “slightly below” than previous level.

Along with improved prospects for rice production in China, the European Union and Mali, the revisions raised global forecast by 800,000 tons to 470.1 million tons.

“This is the second consecutive year of decline in global production,” the ERS said. “South and Southeast Asia and North America account for most of the global rice production decline in 2015-2016.”

Earlier this month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said the country’s stock of milled rice increased further to 3.44 million tons as of Dec. 1 as farms across the nation transitioned farm harvesting the year’s main crop to planting for the dry season.

The PSA said in an update that the country’s stock of milled rice went up from 3.11 million tons the previous month.

According to the PSA, the national inventory—which increased by 11 percent or 330,000 tons over the November level—was good for 100 days’ consumption.

Data from the PSA showed that the National Food Authority’s stocks piled up by 13 percent or 110,000 tons to reach 820,000 tons.

At the start of December, the NFA’s reserve was 85 percent imported—further going down from 88 percent a month earlier—as the agency sustained efforts to top up supplies from locally grown produce.