Palay harvest posts slight uptick in Q1
THE country’s palay harvest likely posted a slight increase in the first quarter due to higher yield, based on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) survey of standing crops.
The PSA data showed palay harvest may increase by 0.8 percent to 4.82 million metric tons (MMT) in the first quarter of 2024 from 4.78 MMT in the same period of 2023.
Based on standing crop for the period January to March 2024, PSA said the yield per hectare of palay may increase by 1 percent to 4.1 metric tons from the yield per hectare of 4.06 metric tons in the same period last year.
“The updated estimate of palay production for the period January to March 2024 as of 01 March 2024 exhibited an increase of 0.3 percent from its estimate of 4.8 MMT as of 01 January 2024,”PSA said.
However, PSA said the estimated harvest area may decrease by 0.1 percent to 1.17 million hectares based on standing crop for the period January to March 2024 from 1.18 million hectares of actual harvested area in the same period of 2023.
As of March 1, the PSA said 677,340 hectares or 57.7 percent of 1.17 million hectares updated harvest area of standing crop have been harvested. This translates to palay output of 2.74 million metric tons.
Of the total area of 497,520 hectares of standing crop yet to be harvested as of 01 March 2024, 8.8 percent were at the reproductive stage and 91.2 percent were at the maturing stage.
Meanwhile, the PSA said the estimated corn production based on standing crop for the period January to March 2024 as of 01 March 2024 may increase to 2.64 MMT or by 4.8 percent from its actual estimate of 2.52 MMT in the same period of 2023.
The harvest area based on standing crop for the January to March 2024 may increase to 697,350 hectares or by 0.4 percent from 694,390 hectares actual estimate of harvest area in the same period of the previous year.
Yellow, white
THE PSA said the yield per hectare of corn may increase to 3.79 MT or by 4.4 percent from its previous year of the same quarter recorded yield per hectare of 3.63 MT.
“As of 01 March 2024, about 413,480 hectares or 59.3 percent of 697,350 hectares updated harvest area of standing corn have been harvested, translating to 1.42 MMT of corn output,” PSA said.
In terms of variety, yellow corn production is estimated to reach 2.167 MMT in the first quarter of 2024 based on data as of March 2024. This represents a 5.7 percent increase from the actial production of 2.049 MMT in the first quarter of last year.
Harvest area for yellow corn may have increased by 3.4 percent to 476,647 hectares from the 461,079 hectares in 2023. In terms of yield, yellow corn yield may have increased 2.5 percent to 4.55 MT per hectare from the actual 4.44 MT per hectare last year.
Meanwhile, white corn production is expected to increase 0.6 percent to 472,827 MT in the first quarter of 2024 from the actual 470,102 MT posted in the January to March period in 2023.
Harvest area for white corn may have declined 5.4 percent to 220,699 MT in the first three months of 2024 from 233,315 MT in the same period of 2023.
PSA data also showed white corn yield may have increased 6.5 percent to 2.14 MT per hectare in the first quarter of 2024 from 2.01 MT per hectare in the first quarter of last year.
Farmgate prices
THE PSA also said farmgate prices of dry palay increased 32 percent to P24.52 per kilo in March 2024 from the P18.57 per kilo level in the same period last year.
The fastest increase in palay farmgate prices was recorded in the Mimaropa Region at 43.6 percent while the slowest increase of 15.9 percent was recorded in Eastern Visayas, the only increase that was below 20 percent.
Farmgate prices in the Mimaropa region averaged P25.4 per kilo while average farmgate prices in Eastern Viasayas averaged P19.11 per kilo in March 2024.
The highest average farmgate price level nationwide was recorded in the Ilocos region at P27.71 per kilo while the lowest was in Eastern Visayas, the only farmgate price that was below P20 per kilo.