December 7, 2009
Philippine 2009 corn production may exceed seven million tonnes
The Philippines' corn production this year is seen to grow by 1.63 percent to 7.041 million tonnes (MT) amid adverse effects of climate changes on local production.
The Philippines' corn production this year is seen to grow by 1.63 percent to 7.041 million tonnes (MT) amid adverse effects of climate changes on local production.
Although first-semester corn production was at 3.22 MT or 2.27-percent lower than last year's 3.29 MT, the year's second half output is seen to increase 5.16 percent to 3.82 MT.
Romeo Recide, director of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) reveals that for the July-September period, corn production surpassed last year's output by 5.17 percent from 2.26 MT to 2.37 MT, due to the expansion of harvest areas and the improvement in per-hectare yields.
Agriculture Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo said that other initiatives such as the National Food Authority's (NFA) adjustment of corn support price to PHP13 (US$0.28) per kilogram from PHP11 (US$0.23) per kilo has also helped corn's increased production,
Araullo said the significant increase in the NFA's corn procurement this year also helped stabilise prices.
Recide said harvest areas grew by 3.10 percent from 921,000 hectares to 949,000 hectares in the third quarter, with the per-hectare yield jumping by 2.01 percent from 2.45 tonnes to 2.5 tonnes per hectare (T/ha).
Despite damages caused by Tropical Storm Ondoy and typhoons Pepeng, Ramil and Santi, the standing crop for the October-December 2009 period points to a production gain of 5.15 percent from last year's level of 1.38 tonnes to 1.45 tonnes, according to Recide.
For this period, expected harvest area may expand 0.51 percent from 604,000 hectares to 607,000 hectares while yield may improve by 4.61 percent from 2.29 tonnes per hectare to 2.39 T/ha.
There were significant corn production increases in Cagayan Valley , Northern Mindanao, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) during the year's third quarter, the BAS chief noted.
For the July-September period, corn output in Cagayan Valley increased by 13.42 percent or an additional 75,390 tonnes; in Northern Mindanao, 18.42 percent or 75,320 tonnes; and ARMM, 15.2 percent or 35,020 tonnes.
Recide said for the last quarter of the year, production in ARMM is expected to grow by 21.9 percent or 57,200 tonnes due to the massive plantings in idle and forest lands and in areas damaged by typhoons Jolina and Kiko, which led to the expansion in harvest areas by 31.42 percent or 23,880 hectares.
He also revealed that there would also be a remarkable increase in corn production in Cagayan Valley in the October-December period by 52.65 percent or 53,070 tonnes as the harvest area there may expand by 58.73 percent or 16,570 hectares due to planting of in-fallow and newly opened areas.
US$1 = PHP46.10 (Dec 7)
