Philippine palay production in the third quarter likely rose by 13.9 percent to 3.38 million metric tons (MMT), from last year’s 2.97 MMT, according to the latest report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA’s latest palay output forecast for the July-to-September period was slightly higher than the 3.36 MMT it projected in August.
Data from the PSA showed that harvest area in the third quarter likely expanded by 14.31 percent to 851,758 hectares, from the 745,140 hectares recorded last year.
However, the PSA’s report, titled “Updates on July-September 2017 Palay and Corn” and published on October 18, showed that its latest forecast was lower than the 3.39 MMT it projected in July.
“The probable reduction in palay production may be attributed to rat infestation in Davao Sur and Cotabato; incidence of rice black bugs in Batangas, Davao Sur and Sultan Kudarat,” the report read.
The PSA added that it revised its forecast following reports that there were lodging of palay in Isabela caused by Typhoon Jolina and flash floods in Sultan Kudarat, South Cotabato and North Cotabato.
The report noted that about 297,190 hectares, or 34.19 percent, of the standing crop for the July-to-September period have been harvested.
It added that around 1.602 million hectares, or 87.1 percent, of the farmers’ planting intentions for the fourth quarter have materialized.
“Of the [2.157 million] hectares standing palay crop, 26.1 percent were at vegetative stage; 55.5 percent at reproductive stage and 18.4 percent at maturing stage,” the PSA said.
The expected increase in the country’s paddy-rice output this year prompted the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to revise downward its projection for Philippine rice imports to 1.1 MMT, from 1.6 MMT.
In its earlier Global Agriculture Information Network report, FAS said Philippine rice harvest area in marketing year 2016-2017 could expand to 4.705 million hectares, 2.28 percent bigger than the FAS’s previous forecast of 4.6 million hectares.