El Nino effect: Double-digit decline in palay output seen
The country’s palay or unmilled rice harvest is projected to decline by 17 percent in the third quarter, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.
The Philippine Statistics Authority projects a substantial 17 percent decrease in the country's palay, or unmilled rice, harvest for the third quarter, bringing the output down to 3.1 million metric tons. This decline is a significant 4.8 percent drop from the 3.75 million MT harvested in the previous quarter, and also marks a 17.2 percent reduction from the 3.26 million MT projected in July.
The projected reduction aligns with the anticipated impacts of El Niño, a weather phenomenon expected to bring below-normal rainfall levels until early next year. The authority estimates the palay harvest area could decline by 17.8 percent, from the 916,770 hectares harvested last year to 753,680 hectares in the current period. Despite the reduction in area, the yield per hectare of palay may increase slightly, from 4.09 MT to 4.12 MT per hectare.
As of September 1, approximately 334,330 hectares of palay have already been harvested, accounting for 44 percent of the updated harvest area, yielding an estimated 1.32 million MT. Of the standing palay, 40.6 percent is in the reproductive stage, 38.3 percent in the vegetative stage, and 21.1 percent is maturing. The Department of Agriculture anticipates El Niño to reduce the country's rice output by around 700,000 MT, raising concerns over local supply and increasing pressure on rice prices as the weather phenomenon continues to influence production.
Written by urgent.news from Philippine Star Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
