The Philippine Statistics Authority projected an 11 percent reduction in palay output in the third quarter to 3.36 million metric tons.
The PSA said the revised figure is a slight reduction from the earlier estimate of 3.39 million metric tons reported on 1 July.
The statistics agency attributed the decline in production to a 14 percent reduction in the harvest area of 796,470 hectares compared to the previous year’s 926,920 hectares.
The yield per hectare, however, is expected to rise by 2.9 percent to 4.22 metric tons, the PSA said.
By contrast, corn production is on a positive trajectory, the PSA said.
The updated estimate for the July to September quarter suggests an increase to 2.52 million metric tons, a 2.4 percent rise from last year’s 2.47 million metric tons. This follows a slight adjustment from the earlier July 2024 estimate of 2.53 million metric tons.
The harvest area for corn has decreased by 1.9 percent to 806,530 hectares, yet yield per hectare is projected to improve by 4.3 percent to 3.13 metric tons.
As of 1 August, the PSA said nearly 15 percent of the rice harvest area and 20 percent of the corn harvest area have been collected.
The rice output so far stands at 469,400 metric tons, while corn output is at 546,590 metric tons. The majority of the remaining crops are in the reproductive and maturing stages.
