THE country’s palay production during the lean months of July, August and September is expected to reach 3.45 million metric tons (MMT), or 9.5 percent higher than paddy production for the third quarter of 2007, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

The BAS said that based on farmers’ planting intentions, production and harvest area are foreseen to increase by 9.54 percent and 12.55 percent, respectively.

“The optimistic outlook is based on farmers’ anticipation of the early onset of rainfall, restoration and rehabilitation of irrigation facilities, availability of seed subsidy from the GMA Rice Program and higher palay prices,” said BAS.

The agency under the Department of Agriculture (DA), however, said that yield reduction from 3.82 metric tons MT to 3.72 MT per hectare is expected. The BAS did not explain why there will be a minimal decline in palay yield.

Meanwhile, the BAS expects a decline in corn production for the third quarter of 2008.

Based on farmers’ planting intentions, the third-quarter production is anticipated to decline by 1 percent, to 2.54 MMT from 2.51 MMT.

“The expected decrease may be attributed to reduction in yield by 2.71 percent, from 2.55 MT to 2.48 MT per hectare.

“The expected drop in production in the major corn-producing regions in Mindanao, resulting from movement of harvests from the third quarter to the second quarter, plus the rising cost of fertilizer, may bring about a decrease in yield,” said BAS.

The BAS said harvest area may increase by 1.76 percent as Cagayan Valley, the top corn producer, expects early plantings to avail of sufficient rainfall, and thus recover from last year’s losses due to the dry spell.

APPROVED investments of foreign investors in the first quarter was not enough to pull up the amount of total approved investments in the said period, which declined by 6.3 percent, according to a report released by the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) on Thursday.

THE Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) is set to bid out the contract for the construction of the P10-billion Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) Terminal 2 in the third quarter of the year, with at least three foreign groups already making known their interest to build it.

THE Philippine government is eyeing to maintain the existing P25 per kilogram price for subsidized rice distributed by the National Food Authority (NFA) in public markets, an official of the NFA said.

THE country’s palay production during the lean months of July, August and September is expected to reach 3.45 million metric tons (MMT), or 9.5 percent higher than paddy production for the third quarter of 2007, according to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS).

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Eleven years since its inception, benefits from the Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act (Afma) have yet to be felt by farmers and fishermen.

CABANATUAN CITY—Small and medium entrepreneurs and government officials here gave a thumbs-up sign Tuesday for the innovative food-processing product of a Nueva Ecija noodle maker.

LUCENA CITY—The provincial government of Quezon jump-started biofuel production in the country when Quezon Gov. Raffy Nantes signed on Wednesday a memorandum of agreement (MOA)  with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP)and the Philippine National Oil Co.-Alternative Fuels Corp. (PNOC-AFC) for the massive production and processing of jatropha in the entire province.