Philippines now 103% self-sufficient in yellow corn — Piñol

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines has achieved a 103 percent self-sufficiency for yellow corn last year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

Quoting a report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said total production in 2017 reached 5.8 million metric tons (MT) which translated to a net local production of 5.75 million MT with a 1.07 percent post-harvest loss.

“This is the first time in the history of the corn industry that Filipino farmers produced more yellow corn than the local demand, with prices at record high at P15 to P16 per kilogram at farm gate,” Piñol said.

Local demand last year was placed at 5.5 million MT for a sufficiency level of 103 percent.

“Including white corn which is a staple food in many Mindanao and Eastern Visayas provinces, the total production for 2017 was 7.9 million MT which was almost 700,000 MT higher than the 2016 production of 7.2 million MT,” Piñol said.

Furthermore, area harvested increased to 2.55 million hectares, while average yield per hectare improved to 3.1 MT per hectare.

“The 2017 production of 7.9 million MT and average yield of 3.1 MT per hectare are the highest on record on PSA,” Piñol said.

The agri chief maintained that the increased production in yellow corn could lead to a more vibrant livestock industry and white corn production could further stabilize the country’s staple food supply.

“The country has traditionally imported corn from the United States, Argentina and even Thailand as Filipino farmers struggled with very poor production. With the introduction of quality corn seeds and the availability of modern technology and easy access financing,  Filipino corn farmers have been steadily increasing their production,” Piñol said.

Meanwhile, PSA earlier said corn production for the first quarter may reach 2.46 million MT, four percent higher than the 2.37 million MT level in 2017.

Around 151,000 hectares of the updated standing crop have been harvested, while 220,000 hectares or 55 percent of the planting intentions for the period have been realized.

Of the 765,000 hectares standing corn crop, 33 percent were at vegetative and reproductive stage and 34 percent at maturing stage.

Moreover, PSA expects lower production at the start of the second quarter of 2018 as farmers are pessimistic to plant due to expectations of unfavorable weather, limited seeds, and insufficient soil moisture.