By Janine Alexis Miguel

RICE production likely fell in the third quarter due to a series of storms that hit the country over the July-September period, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Monday.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary and spokesman Arnel de Mesa told reporters that output remained constrained by the impact of the El Niño weather pattern earlier this year and the typhoons that followed the end of a dry spell.

“We can expect [lower production] compared to last year because of the damage [from typhoons], El Niño and then the series of typhoons before [Severe Tropical Storm] Kristine [that battered Luzon last month],” de Mesa said.

He did not specify how much the decline would be but gave assurances that rice supplies would remain sufficient.

De Mesa added that prices of imported rice were declining, which could further boost supplies of the staple.

Among the storms that hit the country in the third quarter were Super Typhoon Carina (international name: Gaemi), which hit in late July and caused over P4 billion in agriculture damage, and Severe Tropical Storm Enteng (Yagi) that caused more than P2 billion in farm damage in September.

Rice production for the last three months of the year will also be affected after Kristine (Trami) battered Luzon late in October.

As of Nov. 2, the damage to rice farms from Kristine was said to have topped P4 billion, with the production loss of some 516,438 metric tons (MT) of palay, or unhusked rice, said to be equivalent to 2.5 percent of the production target for this year.

The DA earlier said that palay output could reach 20.44 million MT this year, slightly higher than 2023’s record 20.06 million MT.

Palay production from April to June came in at 3.85 million MT, down 9.5 percent compared to 4.25 million MT a year earlier. Results for the third quarter are scheduled to be released this week.

Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. has said that the DA is recalibrating the country’s rice program to deliver higher yields. The initiative includes identifying target areas, distribution of improved seeds, expansion of irrigation systems, and adjustments to rice cropping schedules.

The current yield of approximately 84 sacks per hectare is said to highlight the need for substantial production improvements.

The United States Department of Agriculture expects the Philippines to produce around 12.3 million MT of milled rice this year, down from an earlier forecast of 12.7 million MT.

Published Date: November 5, 2024