Philippines to produce less corn in first half of 2010

Corn production for the January-June 2010 period in the Philippines is forecast at 3.21 million tonnes, down 0.29% from the 2009 level.

The decrease was attributed to a 1.43% or 17,000 hectares contraction in harvest area, which could largely be observed in the Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas and SOCCSKSARGEN.

In Cagayan Valley, harvest area may decrease by about 7,000 hectares if the mild El Niño persists.

In Western Visayas, harvest area would decrease due to seed availability constraints and the anticipation of a dry spell, which deters farmers from planting corn.

In SOCCSKSARGEN, shifting to cassava may occur in anticipation of the dry spell.

In 2009, corn production managed to post a 1.53% increase due to higher harvested areas and yield per hectare.