By Alec Go
Agriculture Secretary William Dar on Monday (April 26) reported a record-high palay production of 19.44 million metric tons in the country in 2020, higher than the 19.2 million metric tons in 2017.
According to his report at the Sulong Pilipinas: A Pre-SONA Economic Development and Infrastructure Cluster Forum, the 2020 figures were also 3.33% higher than the 18.81 million metric tons in 2019.
At least 59% of the palay production growth in 2020 was driven by use of better seeds and fertilizer, while 41% was due to “favorable cropping.”
Based on a cited report of the Philippine Statistics Authority, the production of palay also improved in the first quarter of 2021 with an estimated 4.57 million metric tons or a 7.2% increase.
“We are thus expecting that we will surpass our performance last year with this year’s harvest, and in the process, attaining 93% rice sufficiency for the country,” Dar said.
Meanwhile, the agriculture chief added that there was also an improvement in corn productivity as the government boosts assistance to corn farmers through the National Corn Program.
