The Philippines’ January-June palay and corn production may recover this year from its negative growth during the same period in 2016.
Nationwide first semester palay production in 2017 may hit 8.55 million metric tons (MTs), 900,439 MTs or nearly 12 percent more than the estimated 2016 output of 7.64 million MTs, based on the latest Philippine Statistics Authority outlook.
The 2016 output was 676,670 MT or 8.13 percent lower than 2015’s estimated 8.32 million MT, noted PSA.
PSA’s outlook also showed first semester corn production in the country this year can reach some 3.68 million MTs and exceed, by some 855,510 MTs or 30.25 percent, the 2016’s estimated 2.83 million MTs output.
Last year’s corn production was 552,830 MT or 16.35 percent less than 2015’s estimated 3.38 million MT output, PSA noted.
Expected increase in January-June harvest area and recovery from last year’s drought due to El Nino phenomenon helped bolster the country’s palay and corn outlook for 2017.
Palay harvest area nationwide may increase by 167,832 hectares or 8.70 percent to 2.10 million hectares during this year’s first semester from 1.93 million hectares in 2016, PSA’s outlook showed.
The country’s corn harvest area may also expand to 1.10 million hectares this year – 196,064 hectares or 21.77 percent more than last year’s 900,602 hectares, the outlook further noted.
PSA also forecast January-June nationwide palay and corn yield this year to exceed levels during the same period in 2016.
Palay yield may rise 2.83 percent to 4.08 MT per hectare in 2017 from 3.96 MT per hectare in 2016, said PSA.
2017 corn yield may reach 3.36 MT per hectare – a 6.97 percent increase from 2016’s 3.14 MT per hectare, PSA noted.
For the January-June 2017 period, PSA forecast Central Luzon Region and Cagayan Valley Region to register the highest palay production levels at 1.76 million MT and 1.5 million MT, respectively.
The country’s top corn producers during the same period will likely be Cagayan Valley (937,502 MT) and Ilocos Region (538,754 MT), PSA noted.
Based on the PSA outlook,regions expected to have the most harvest areas during 2017’s first semester are Central Luzon (322,834 hectares) and Cagayan Valley (314,375 hectares) for palay as well as Cagayan Valley (208,809 hectares) and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (159,213 hectares) for corn.
PSA likewise forecast yield then to be highest in Central Luzon at 5.46 MT of palay per hectare and Ilocos at 5.97 MT of corn per hectare. (PNA)
