NorMin corn production value up in Q2

A HUGE hike in the value of corn produced in Northern Mindanao has been recorded during the second quarter of 2018, an official of the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) of the said region said.

Engineer Cecilop Clarete, the chief economic development specialist Development Research Division of Neda-Northern Mindanao, said that the significant increases in the farm gate price and the production volume resulted to an 87.69 percent growth in the value of white corn production.

From P227.780 million in the second quarter of 2017, the value of white corn production reached to P427.520 million in the same period this year.

Meanwhile, the 47 increase in farm gate price of yellow corn, according to Neda, was more than enough to counter the single-digit decrease in production volume in the second quarter of 2018, pushing the total value of yellow corn to reach P608.233 million, which is 38 percent higher compared to the same quarter last year.

The overall production of corn in Northern Mindanao had a recorded increase of 3.2 percent as of the second quarter of 2018 to 68,283 metric tons from last year’s 66,163 metric tons (MT).

Lanao del Norte posted an increase in white and yellow corn production by 36.84 percent (from 12,974 MT to 17,753 MT) and 16.67 percent (from 1,176 MT to 1,372 MT), respectively, due to the usage of open pollinated variety seeds coupled with adequate rainfall, NedaNorthern Mindanao said.

According to Neda, the intense heat from February to March this year resulted to lesser white and yellow corn production volume and yield in Bukidnon.

Misamis Occidental’s lesser planting of white corn was due to insufficient rainfall, especially in Bonifacio and Tangub City, it added.

The decrease in yield in Bukidnon for both varieties primarily pulled down the region’s average yield by 4.46 percent from 2.63 metric tons/hectare in the second quarter of 2017 to 2.52 metric tons/hectare this year.