The Philippines’ palay production for the fourth quarter may grow by 10 percent year-on-year and enable the Department of Agriculture (DA) to reach its target of producing 16.2 million metric tons (MMT) of palay for 2007.

Frisco Malabanan, director of the DA’s Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) program, said the interventions undertaken by the DA, especially during the dry spell, will prop up rice production for the last quarter of this year. Palay production for the fourth quarter of 2006 reached 5.7 MMT.

 Malabanan noted that among these interventions are the planting of certified seeds to 600,000 hectares of farmlands, as well as the additional 300,000 hectares planted with certified and hybrid seeds under the quick turnaround (QTA) program.

“A 10-percent growth in rice production for the fourth quarter is possible,” said Malabanan at the sidelines of the opening of the Rice Awareness Exhibit and Fair held in Quezon City Monday.

The exhibit organized by the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) highlighted its PalayCheck system and Palayamanan, which seek to provide farmers with an integrated management tool. It also highlighted the Open Academy for Philippine Agriculture which showcases ICT-based promotional technologies such as e-learning and farmer’s text center.

Malabanan, however, said achieving the 10-percent growth target would still be dependent on the weather. He noted that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has earlier projected that two typhoons may hit the country next month.

Analysts have earlier noted that fourth-quarter rice production is something to watch out for since the main crop is harvested during this period. About 40 percent of the country’s total rice output for the year is harvested in the fourth quarter.

Based on the latest data from the DA’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS), January to September cumulative palay output reached 9.874 MMT. For the third quarter, palay production reached 3.146 MMT.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur C. Yap said a lot of the expansion was due to the DA’s quick and decisive action on the dry spell.

Palay and corn together account for the bulk of the country’s crop production. The crops subsector is considered as a major component of the country’s farm sector as it accounts for about 40 percent of total output. 

Good weather propelled farm- sector growth at 5.39 percent in the third quarter of this year, based on figures released by BAS.

THE government admitted that it cannot go all-out for micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) financing due to the country’s current fiscal position and will have to rely more on the private sector to provide lending at this time.

SAN FRANCISCO, California—Filipino organizations here are raising funds to help uplift the lives of poor children in the Philippines but are making sure that the assistance they send reaches the intended beneficiaries.

BANGKOK—Thailand’s leading conglomerate, the Siam Cement Group (SCG), is studying its expansion options in the Philippines despite high production costs.

The Philippines’ palay production for the fourth quarter may grow by 10 percent year-on-year and enable the Department of Agriculture (DA) to reach its target of producing 16.2 million metric tons (MMT) of palay for 2007.

THE Department of Education (DepEd), in partnership with foreign governments and the private sector, has intensified efforts to improve access to quality education and open jobs for children and out-of-school youth in Mindanao, particularly in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).