Leyte corn yield highest in E. Visayas

TACLOBAN CITY – The province of Leyte has increased its corn production despite the 9.6-percent decrease in the yield in the Eastern Visayas region.

Regional corn production dropped from 11,649 metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2017 to 10,528 MT in the same quarter of 2018, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported.

Wilma Perante, PSA regional director, said that among the six provinces in Eastern Visayas, Leyte had the highest volume of corn at 7,101 MT, a little over two-thirds of the total production in the region.

Biliran had the lowest volume of 118 MT, accounting for 1.1 percent, Perante said.

The total harvest area for corn in the region shrank by 7.1 percent, from 8,081 hectares in the first quarter of 2017 to 7,507 hectares in the first quarter of 2018. Contributing largely to the decrease is Northern Samar with a drop of 30.1 percent, Perante said.

Leyte recorded almost three quarters (5,574 hectares) of the total corn area harvested during the quarter in review, while Eastern Samar contributed the least (70 hectares) accounting for only 0.9 percent.

Decreases were observed among all provinces, except in Southern Leyte and Eastern Samar, which posted increases of 7.0 percent and 3.8 percent, respectively, Perante said.

The yield per hectare for corn in the region remained at 1.4 MT per hectare.

Eastern Samar posted the highest yield per hectare at 2.0 MT. Biliran had the lowest yield at 1.2 MT per hectare.