PRODUCTION of palay (unhusked rice) and corn in the first quarter (Q1) may decline compared to the same period last year, based on standing crop as of March 1, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Standing crop is the total amount of living organisms (plants, animals, microorganisms) present in a specific area at a given time.
Data from PSA showed estimated Q1 palay production is 4.37 million metric tons (MT), 6.9 percent lower than the 4.70 million MT in the same period in 2025. It was also 1.7 percent lower than the initial estimate of 4.45 million MT as of Jan. 1.
Approximate harvest area based on the standing crop may also fall by 6.1 percent to 1.08 million hectares from the 1.15 million hectares actually harvested in Q1 2025.
Yield per hectare of palay is forecast to slip by 0.7 percent to 4.06 MT from the 4.09 MT in the same period last year.
Roughly 52.6 percent or 567,090 hectares of the updated 1.08 million hectare plantation have been harvested. This amounts to about 2.20 million MT of palay output.
Of the 1.26 million hectares of standing palay, around 35.6 percent were in the maturing stage, 33.7 percent vegetative stage, and 30.8 percent reproductive stage.
As for farmers‘ planting intentions, 74.3 percent or 750.13 hectares of the 1.01 million hectares perceived area have been seeded.
For corn, production is seen to drop by 3.9 percent to 2.31 million metric tons (MT), down from the actual estimate of 2.40 million MT in the same period last year. This updated estimate was also 2.1 percent lower than the 2.36 million MT estimate as of Jan. 1.
First quarter harvest area based on standing crop may also decrease by 5.2 percent to 612,820 hectares from the 645,650 hectares actual estimated harvest area in the same quarter last year.
However, corn yield per hectare may rise by 1.3 percent to 3.77 MT from the 3.72 MT recorded last year.
As of March 1, 61.5 percent (377,050 hectares) of the 612,820 hectares of standing corn have been harvested, equivalent to an output of about 1.37 million MT of corn.
Of the 508,680 hectares of standing corn, 40.9 percent were maturing, 33.1 percent in the reproductive stage, and 26.0 percent in the vegetative stage.
Of the 437,120 hectares farmers intended to plant this quarter, 62.4 percent (272,910 hectares) have been cultivated.