April 10, 2006

Philippines' Q1 corn output rises 20 percent

Philippines' corn output in the first quarter is likely to have soared 20 percent above its low levels in the same period last year, the Department of Agriculture said Monday (Apr 10).

Corn output in the January to March period is estimated at 1.51 million tonnes from an output of 1.25 million tonnes in the same period last year, Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban said in a statement.

According to Panganiban, the increase in output could mainly be attributed to an increase in yield of around 6 percent a hectare.

In 2005, the country's corn crops were damaged by floods in major corn producing areas. Corn production in the first half of 2006 is expected to surge by 33 percent over the same period to 2.63 million tonnes

In the first half of 2005, the Philippines produced 1.95 million tonnes of corn.