The country’s ummilled-rice output may have expanded by 16.2 percent to 2.963 million metric tons (MMT) in the third quarter, from 2.55 MMT recorded a year ago, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The latest forecast, however, is 500 metric tons (MT) lower than the 2.964 MMT projected by the PSA in its July report.
“Possible reduction in palay production may be attributed to the damaged areas in Pampanga and Pangasinan due to monsoon rains in August and tropical storm Carina in Cagayan province,” the PSA said.
“Infestation of rat and black bugs in Zamboanga Sibugay, brown plant hopper in Aurora and occurrence of bacterial leaf blight, rice blast and weeds in Iloilo may affect palay production,” it added.
The PSA also said there was insufficient water supply during the vegetative and reproductive stages of the staple in Batangas, Quezon, Aklan, Capiz and Guimaras, which may result in lower output of these provinces.
“Harvest area may contract by 114 hectares, from 751,370 hectare, while overall yield may stabilize at 3.95 MT per hectare,” the PSA said.
“About 214,000 hectare of the updated standing crop have been harvested. Almost 1,537 hectare, or 80.6 percent, of the planting intentions for the October to December 2016 crop have been realized,” the PSA added.
The agency also lowered its corn production forecast by 1.3 percent to 2.66 MMT, from its July round forecast of 2.7 MMT. The new forecast is still higher than last year’s production of 2.41 MMT by 10.6 percent.
“The combined effects of dry spell/drought and tropical storm resulting to damaged areas may bring down corn production in Isabela and Cagayan,” the PSA said.
“Infestations of locusts, corn borers and rats in Cebu, Negros Oriental and South Cotabato, respectively, may cause the reduction in yield,” it added.
The PSA said harvest area may contract to 973,400 hectare, from 974,400 hectare, while yield may fall to 2.73 MT per hectare, from 2.77 MT per hectare.
“Dry spell were experienced in Kalinga and Quezon, which may also result to the decrease in corn output,” the report read.
The PSA added that about 435,500 hectare of the updated standing crop have been harvested and around 457,800 hectare, or 70.6 percent, of the planting intentions for the October to December 2016 harvests have
materialized.
The prolonged dry spell caused the country’s rice and corn output to decline in the second quarter of the year, according to data from the PSA. In the April-to-July period, the PSA said the production of the crops subsector, which accounts for nearly half of farm output, shrank by nearly 5 percent.
According to the PSA, unmilled-rice output in the second quarter declined by 6.1 percent to 3.96 MMT, from 3.71 MMT, while corn output fell by 10 percent to 911,000 MT, from 1.01 MMT posted in April to June 2015.
The dismal performance of the crops subsector during the period caused Philippine farm output to decline by 2.34 percent, the PSA said.