Rice and corn production is projected to have dropped in the second quarter, with water shortage caused by El Nino reducing both yield and areas cultivated for the important grains, the latest estimates from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed.
The PSA estimates, which are based on standing crops as of 1 May, project palay, or unhusked rice, output in the second quarter likely dropped 8.4 percent to 3.89 million metric tons while the forecast for corn output for the April-June quarter was a 19 percent drop to 1.19 million metric tons.
The latest estimates were even lower than forecasts using 1 April standing crops. The earlier forecasts were 3.91 million metric tons for palay and 1.20 million metric tons for corn.
Around 568,030 hectares or 64 percent of the updated harvest area have already been harvested, yielding approximately 2.54 million metric tons of palay, data showed.
Another 324,370 hectares planted to rice have yet to be harvested, with 39 percent still in the reproductive stage and 61 percent in the maturing stage.Palay harvest between January and June accounts for 30 percent to 40 percent of annual rice production. A kilo of palay yields an average 630 grams of rice. As for corn, the latest PSA estimates project the harvest area for corn during April-June quarter to have decreased by 15 percent to 347,700 hectares. The yield per hectare of corn is seen to have fallen 4.7 percent year-on-year to 3.43 metric tons.
Approximately 183,090 hectares, or 53 percent, of the updated harvest area for corn have already been harvested, producing around 664,340 metric tons of corn. Around 164,610 hectares of standing corn are yet to be harvested, with 2.9 percent at the vegetative stage, 34 percent at the reproductive stage, and 63 percent at the maturing stage.
These estimates provide insights into the agricultural landscape for the upcoming months, reflecting anticipated challenges and adjustments within the sector based on current crop conditions and projections.
