The country’s paddy rice production could post a double-digit growth due to an improvement in yield, based on the results of the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) standing crops survey.
The state statistics agency said palay harvest may rise by 13.4 percent to 4.36 million metric tons (MMT) in April to June from 3.85 MMT last year, when the country was struck by El Niño.
“Based on standing crop for the period April to June 2025, the yield per hectare of palay may improve to 4.48 metric tons or by 3.7 percent from the previous year’s same period yield per hectare of 4.32 metric tons.”
The latest production forecast is also 0.6 percent higher than the agency’s initial estimate of 4.34 MMT.
PSA said total palay harvest area in the first quarter may expand by 9.2 percent to 972,730 hectares (ha) from the 890,600 has recorded in the same period last year.
As of May 1, PSA said about 612,650 hectares or 63 percent of the 972,730 hectares updated area of standing crop have been harvested. This translates to a palay output of 2.82 MMT.
“Of the total area of 552,380 hectares of standing palay as of 01 May 2025, 34.5 percent were at the vegetative stage, 19.6 percent were at the reproductive stage, and 45.9 percent were at the maturing stage.”
Industry sources and agriculture officials said palay output will recover this year due to improved weather conditions. The Department of Agriculture is aiming to harvest 20.46 MMT of rice this year.
The country’s paddy rice output stood at 19.09 MMT last year, 4.85 percent lower than the record harvest of 20.06 MMT in 2023.
Corn outlook
Meanwhile, the state statistics agency expects corn output in the second quarter to jump by 26.7 percent to 1.487 MMT from the actual production of 1.174 MMT in the previous year.
The latest forecast is 0.1 percent lower than the PSA’s April estimate of 1.489 MMT.
The harvest area during the period was expected to recover by 16.1 percent to 402,690 ha from the 346,880 has recorded last year, while yield per hectare may grow by 9.2 percent to 3.69 MT from 3.38 MT.
“As of 01 May 2025, about 221,690 hectares or 55.1 percent of the 402,690 hectares updated harvest area of standing corn have been harvested, translating to 915,860 metric tons of corn output,” the PSA said.
“Of the total area of 315,980 hectares of standing corn as of 01 May 2025, 39.4 percent were at the vegetative stage, 23.9 percent were at the reproductive stage, and 36.7 percent were at the maturing stage.”
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