Palay output likely grew in Q3

MANILA, Philippines — The country’s production of palay or unhusked rice is projected to have grown by 2.2 percent in the third quarter, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

But this has yet to take into account the impact of Super Typhoon Karding, which made landfall on Sept. 25 and affected six agricultural regions in Luzon.

It destroyed crops particularly rice – ready for harvest in Central Luzon. The typhoon devastated rice lands in Nueva Ecija, which is considered the country’s rice granary.

Latest estimates from the PSA showed that palay production from July to September based on standing crop as of Aug. 1 indicated a possible increase to 3.83 million metric tons, higher than the 3.75 million MT in the same period in 2021.

The figure, however, is 0.4 percent lower than the PSA’s initial production forecast for the period of 3.85 million MT as of July 1.

Harvest area is forecast to increase by 1.7 percent from 912,660 hectares to 928,200 hectares.

Likewise, yield per hectare may inch up by 0.5 percent from 4.11 MT to 4.13 MT.

PSA data also showed that about 113,380 hectares or 12.2 percent of the updated standing crop had been harvested.

Of the latest harvested area based on standing crop, the actual production was registered at 451,060 MT.

And of the total area of standing palay to be harvested, 12.6 percent are at the vegetative stage, 56 percent at the reproductive stage, and 31.4 percent at the maturing stage.

Meanwhile, the PSA also reported that probable corn production in the third quarter likely reached 2.37 million MT as of Aug. 1, a 3.3 percent increase from 2.29 million MT in the same period last year.

The figure is also 1.2 percent higher versus the 2.34 million MT production it earlier projected.

The PSA said the harvest area may have decreased by 2.3 percent to 790,470 hectares from 809,270 hectares, but yield per hectare may increase by six percent from 2.83 MT to 3 MT.

The PSA reported that around 276,516 hectares or 41.6 percent of the updated standing crop had been harvested.

Around 213,760 hectares, or 27 percent of the 790,470 hectares, of the planting intentions have been realized. The actual production was recorded at 658,480 MT,

Of the total 576,710 hectares to be harvested, 3.2 percent were at vegetative stage, 47.9 percent at the reproductive stage and 48.9 percent at maturing stage.