DA expects crop output to pick up in H2

The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects palay and corn production to pick up in the second half after first half production estimates indicated lower year-on-year outputs.

Agriculture assistant secretary for field operations Edilberto de Luna said palay production in the first six months likely reached 8.3 million metric tons ( MT), slightly lower than the 8.5 million MT target and from the production level of 8.38 million MT in the same period last year.

Corn production, meanwhile, was estimated to have reached 3.4 million MT, lower than the 3.7 million MT target. It also represented a decrease from the 3.48 million MT recorded a year ago.

“There were delays in planting due to El Niño but that does not mean that we cannot hit the (production) target (for the year). The bulk of the production volume is attained during the third and fourth quarter,” said de Luna, who also heads the department’s national rice and corn program.

For this year, the Philippines is expected to produce an aggregate 8.4 million MT of yellow and white corn and 20 million MT of rice.

Government data showed domestic production and respective yield have risen steadily over the past five years mainly due to increased irrigation, use of high performing seeds and new technologies.

Rice production grew from 15.7 million MT in 2010 to 18.97 million MT in 2014. Yield per hectare rose from 3.62 MT in 2010 to 4 MT the previous year.

Corn production, on the other hand, increased from 6.4 million MT in 2010 to 7.7 million MT last year.

De Luna said these production achievements would be taken up in President Aquino’s upcoming State of the Nation Address this month.

He said the department continues to develop multi-stress grain varieties to enable farmers to cope with climate stresses.