Typhoon damage could cut the country’s palay (unmilled rice) output in the third quarter by 4.2 percent to 3.25 million metric tons, from last year’s 3.39 MMT volume, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In its latest forecast report, the PSA said that as of September 1, total harvest area in the July-to-September period would decline by 3.4 percent to 823,640.58 hectares, from 852,630 hectares last year.
Likewise, yield per hectare is foreseen to fall to 3.94 metric tons (MT) per hectare from 3.98 MT per hectare a year ago, according to the PSA.
“The effect of southwest monsoon [rains] or habagat in July, enhanced by typhoons Henry, Inday and Josie during the reproductive and maturing stages of the crop, may cause the probable drop in palay production in most provinces of Northern Luzon,” it said. “Bulk of the decrement may come from Nueva Ecija.”
The PSA said about 281,730 hectares, or 34.21 percent of the updated standing crop, has been harvested.
“Of the 2,260.84 hectares standing crop, 26.2 percent were at vegetative stage, 56.2 percent at reproductive stage and 17.6 percent at maturing stage,” it said.
The PSA said about 89.1 percent, or around 1.718 million hectares of the farmers’ planting intentions for the October-to-December period, have been materialized.
In the same report, the PSA said the country’s total corn output in the third quarter could decrease by 16 percent to 2.176 MMT, from the previous year’s 2.589 MMT.
Corn harvest area would decline to 783,720 hectares from 884,210 hectares last year, while yield per hectare would decrease to 2.78 MT per hectare from 2.93 MT per hectare.
“The effects of habagat, which cut down the yield in Negros Oriental, South Cotabato and Sarangani, may contribute to the decline in production,” the PSA added.
“Yield in Cebu may decline due to insufficient soil moisture during vegetative stage,” it added.