Palay production for the third quarter is projected to rise by 18 percent year-on-year to 3.93 million metric tons, largely driven by a surge in output from rainfed areas, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The forecast, based on standing crops as of September 1, marks a strong recovery in rice output compared to the 3.33 million metric tons recorded in the same period last year when El Nino affected water supply for farms.
Production from irrigated farms rose 11 percent to 2.89 million metric tons, while output from rainfed areas surged 46 percent to hit 1 million metric tons. Upland areas also posted a modest increase of 8.5 percent to 43,959 metric tons.
The estimated harvest area for palay expanded 19 percent to 943,069 hectares, with notable gains in both irrigated and rainfed areas. Despite the production increase, yield per hectare slipped slightly by 0.7 percent to 4.17 metric tons. As of early September, 42.2 percent of the harvestable area had been reaped, producing 1.62 million metric tons.
In contrast, corn output for July to September is forecast to decline by 3.6 percent to 2.41 million metric tons, from 2.50 million metric tons a year earlier. The drop is largely attributed to lower yellow corn production, which has dampened total output despite gains in white corn. Harvest area slipped 1.2 percent to 796,783 hectares, while average yield per hectare decreased 2.6 percent to 3.02 metric tons.
Yellow corn, which makes up the bulk of animal feed ingredients, dropped 6.7 percent to 1.69 million metric tons, weighing down the overall corn figures. Meanwhile, white corn, used mainly for human consumption, rose 4.6 percent to 716,000 metric tons, offering a small but welcome buffer against the dip in feed-grade corn.
