The country’s paddy-rice production in the fourth quarter could settle at 7.17 million metric tons (MMT), 1.5 percent lower than last year’s output of 7.27 MMT, according to latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its report, titled “Updates on Palay and Corn Forecasts”, the PSA revised its forecast for palay production in the October-to-December period. The agency said the figure was 1.8 percent lower than the 7.3 MMT it projected
in October.
“Probable reduction in palay production may be attributed to the adverse effects on harvest areas and yield caused by typhoons Karen [international code name Sarika] and Lawin [international code name Haima] in October,” the PSA report read.
The report noted that the two typhoons hit the provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and Bicol.
As of November 1, the PSA said harvest area in the October-to-December period may contract to 1.88 million hectares, from 1.91 million hectares, or by 1.3 percent. Also, yield per hectare may decline to 3.81 metric tones (MT) from 3.83 MT.
The PSA said the infestation of rats, black bugs, and stem borers in South Cotabato, Laguna, Sarangani, Bukidnon, Surigao Sur, Leyte and Guimaras, as well as the incidence of bacterial leaf blight, rice blast and neckrot in Mindoro Oriental and Iloilo, could contribute to lower palay production.
“Insufficient water supply due to inadequate irrigation water and less occurrence of rain during the vegetative and reproductive stages of crop was experienced in Quezon, Leyte, Aklan and Southern Leyte, which may cause production of these provinces to go down,” the PSA added.
The report noted that about 1.24 million hectares of the updated standing crop have been harvested. Also, almost 309,930 hectares, or 26.7 percent of the planting intentions for the January-March 2017 crop, have been realized, the PSA said.
The PSA also revised its forecast for corn output in the fourth quarter to 1.74 MMT, 1.9 percent lower than its earlier projection of 1.77 MMT. However, the figure is still higher than last year’s level of 1.73 MMT, or by 0.5 percent.
“Harvest area may contract to 614,000 hectares from 619,930 hectares. Yield may decrease to 2.83 MT per hectare from 2.86 MT per hectare,” the report read.
The PSA said the probable decrease in output could be traced to the adverse effects of typhoons Karen and Lawin that hit the corn-producing provinces of Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Aurora, Zambales, Cavite and Camarines Sur.
The report noted that about 216,860 hectares of the updated standing crop have been harvested and that around 238,340 hectares, or 34.8 percent, of the planting intentions for the January-March 2017 harvests have materialized.