January 23, 2004

Philippine 2003 Corn Output Up 6.9%

Corn output in the Philippines rose 6.9% in 2003 from the previous year to reach 4.62 million metric tons, due to favorable weather and the use of high-yielding seed varieties, the Department of Agriculture said Thursday.

A production report released by the department said continued improvement in yields, especially of white corn, and an expansion in harvest area contributed largely to the growth.

According to the department, corn output in the first half of 2004 may exceed production in the same period of 2003 by 11%, or about 200,000 tons, again due to favorable weather and the use of hybrid seeds.

Corn output for the entire year is projected to reach 5.25 million to 5.40 million tons, 13% to 16% higher than last year's output.

The prevailing high price of corn is also expected to encourage farmers to increase their harvest area, an agriculture official said.

Corn prices currently range from 11 to 12 pesos ($1=PHP55.56) a kilogram, up from year-ago levels of PHP8/kg.