Paddy-rice output for 2015 could settle at 18.3 million metric tons (MMT), 3.54 percent lower than the 18.97 MMT produced last year, according to the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The PSA attributed this to the drought caused by El Niño and the damage caused by Typhoon Lando (international code name Koppu) in top rice-producing provinces in the country.
“Harvest area may contract by 1.58 percent to 4.66 million hectares this year, from 4.74 million hectares last year. Yield per hectare may drop by 1.99 percent to 3.92 metric tons (MT) this year, from 4 MT,” the report read.
Aside from El Niño, the PSA said the typhoons Egay (international code name Linfa) and Ineng (international code name Goni) had also made it difficult for farmers to increase palay output. The two typhoons hit the country in the third quarter of the year.
“Furthermore, the damages brought by Lando on standing palay and corn crops may reduce the expected output for the fourth quarter,” the report read.
The PSA said palay production in the second half of the year could go down by 5.81 percent to 9.97 MMT, from 10.59 MMT recorded last year. Harvest area may contract to 2.6 million hectares from 2.64 million hectares, or by 1.51 percent, while yield per hectare may decline by 4.37 percent to 3.83 MT from 4.01 MT.
“All other regions, aside from the Bicol region, reported reductions in production and harvest area. These were attributed to unrealized plantings as a result of delayed release and inadequate irrigation water, late occurrence of rains and some areas left in-fallow,” the report read.
In the fourth quarter alone, the PSA said palay output could decline by 1.84 percent to 7.42 MMT, from 7.56 MMT last year. The PSA attributed this to the prolonged dry spell and the damages caused by the typhoons.
In the first quarter of 2016, the PSA said output would recover based on farmers’ planting intentions. Paddy-rice production is expected to go up by 0.31 percent to 4.38 MMT, from 4.37 MMT recorded in January to March 2015.
Meanwhile, the PSA said corn production for 2015 could go down by 2.8 percent to 7.55 MMT, from 7.77 MMT last year. In the second half of the year alone, corn output is projected to decline by 2.76 percent to 4.17 MMT, from 4.29 MMT recorded in July to December 2014.
Corn production in January to March 2016 is projected to increase by 0.48 percent to 2.38 MMT, from 2.37 MMT posted in the first quarter of this year.