Farmer sorting his palay harvest. (Image from the Department of Agriculture website)
The country likely produced more palay (unmilled rice) in the last quarter of this year despite the devastating impact of recent typhoons on local farms.
Palay production was pegged at 7.44 million metric tons (MT) in the October to December period, up by 2.8 percent period from the actual output of 7.24 million MT in the same period a year ago, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The projection, however, was 2.3 percent lower than its estimate of 7.61 million MT as of Oct. 1.
The total harvest area increased by 2.8 percent to 1.8 million hectares (ha) while the yield per hectare remained at 4.13 MT.
READ: Recent storms to increase cost of producing palay
Some 54.9 percent or 998,953 ha of crops have been harvested, equivalent to 4.18 million MT.
Of the 811,328 ha of standing palay crops for harvest, 66.1 percent were at the maturing stage while 30.4 percent were at the reproductive stage. The remaining 3.5 percent reached the vegetative stage.
The DA expected domestic palay output to end at 19.3 million MT by the end of this year as the El Niño and La Niña weather phenomena severely affected farm production.
If the estimate is met, the projected volume will mark a decrease of almost 4 percent from the record high of 20.06 million MT last year.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said they were hoping to breach the record-high palay output in 2023, noting the increase in irrigated areas and funds following the signing of the amended Rice Tariffication Law.
“But then of course, for 2025, we look forward to 2025. The La Niña and El Niño are over, but of course, the regular storms will be coming back to us,” Tiu Laurel Jr. said in an interview on Monday evening.
“I think the DA is ready for next year. We’re hoping to break (the record palay output of) 20.06 million metric tons next year,” he told reporters.
The DA’s palay output forecast was around the same level as the domestic milled production of 12 million MT projected this year by the US Department of Agriculture.
Meanwhile, the PSA said corn production might have dropped by 1.5 percent to 1.93 million MT in the fourth quarter of 2025 from 1.96 million MT a year ago.
The estimated volume was likewise a decrease of 1.9 percent from 1.97 million MT as of Oct. 1.
The total harvest area is seen to go down by 3.5 percent to 598,776 ha but the yield per hectare was projected to rise by 1.9 percent to 3.22 MT.
About 278,658 ha or 46.5 percent of corn crops have been harvested, amounting to 1 million MT.
Of the 320,118 ha of corn farms up for harvest, 55.2 percent were at the maturing stage, 42.1 percent were at the reproductive stage and the other 2.7 percent were at the vegetative stage.