Drop in ’16 palay output seen

Palay output is expected to be cut by 1.5 percent or 20,000 tons in the first half to 8.2 million tons due partly to the damage caused by typhoons last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said in its latest production outlook the volume may decrease as rising yield could fail to offset shrinkage in the area harvested.

The contraction in harvest area, in turn, may result from the lingering effects of Typhoon “Nona,” which ravaged farms in the northern part of the country last December, as well as insufficient water in the Zamboanga Peninsula.

PSA projections show that, for the six months to June, a total of 2.06 million hectares is expected to produce palay.

This is 40,000 hectares or 1.9 percent less than the year-ago figure.

On the other hand, an improvement in yield is anticipated at 10 kilograms per hectare or 0.44 percent to reach 4.05 tons per hectare.

“Based on standing crop, probable production in (the first quarter may reach) 4.15 million tons, 5 percent below the 4.37 million tons output” in the same quarter of 2015, the PSA said.

The agency said that in the main rice growing region of Central Luzon, farmers may hold off planting because of insufficient water supply and damaged areas caused by Typhoon Nona—resulting in a smaller harvest area.

Similar scenarios are expected in Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa and Ilocandia.

In Western Visayas and Zamboanga Peninsula, early closure of irrigation systems and insufficient rainfall may stop farmers from planting altogether or wait a few months before going back to their fields.

As for the second quarter, farmers’ planting intentions suggest a possible 2.4-percent rise in output, which may reach 4.05 million tons.

The expected increase in output is mainly due to the belated availability of irrigation water, the PSA said.