MANILA — The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported that October to December palay or unmilled rice production rebounded in 2017 from its -3.62 percent growth in 2016.
Last year’s production volume grew 4.37 percent to 7.32 million metric tons, exceeding 2016’s 7.01 million metric tons, which was lower than the 7.27 million metric tons in 2015, latest PSA data showed.
The PSA attributed the growth in 2017 “to increase in areas harvested in Cordillera Administrative Region, Cagayan Valley, Bicol and Central Visayas due to sufficient water supply during the cropping period and recovery from damages caused by the series of typhoons in 2016”.
“Use of high-yielding varieties and favorable weather conditions in most regions were cited,” PSA added.
Growth in palay production volume contributed to the crop sub-sector’s 2.66 percent increase during the October to December 2017 period.
The sub-sector accounted for 51.2 percent of total agricultural production, PSA said.
“Agricultural production grew by 2.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2017,” it added.
The PSA further noted that improved production in both livestock and poultry sub-sectors also contributed to the growth. (Catherine Teves/PNA)
