BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Western Visayas experienced a 36 percent decline in palay (unmilled rice) production during the second quarter of 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Region 6 said. Such a sharp reduction in production could seriously affect the region, affecting food security and farmers’ livelihoods.
In a report, the PSA-6 said the total palay production of Western Visayas in the second quarter of 2024 was estimated at 82,819 metric tons, which decreased by 36 percent or more than one-third of the output in the same quarter of 2023.
The region’s total area harvested in the current period declined by 31.8 percent, registering 28,546 hectares from 41,833 hectares in the second quarter of 2023.
The PSA-6 issued a special release on the palay production of Western Visayas for the second quarter, which includes the estimates of palay production and area harvested for analysis which serves as a basis for policy-making and projects on rice.
Based on its Palay Production Survey, the PSA-6 reported that for the second quarter of 2024, about 61, 493 metric tons of the region’s production was from irrigated harvest with a drop of 18.5 percent compared to the region’s production in 2023 of the same quarter.
On the other hand, the harvest areas for irrigated and rainfed palay in the second quarter of 2024 declined by 13.9 percent and 53.5 percent, respectively.
The above figures represent 3, 180 hectares of irrigated harvest areas and 10, 106 hectares of land for rainfed areas, or those areas that have dikes that retain water and are solely dependent on rainfall for its water supply.
Among the six provinces in Western Visayas, Negros Occidental posted the highest palay production in the second quarter of 2021 with 36.3 percent, or over one-third of the total rice production in the region for the second quarter of 2024.
Negros Occidental was followed by Capiz at 32.9 percent; Antique at 14.7 percent, Iloilo (12.1 percent); Aklan (3.5 percent); and Guimaras at 0.6 percent shares to the regional palay production.
Likewise, Capiz contributed the highest area harvested for palay in the second quarter of the year. Of the 28, 546 hectares total area harvested for palay in the region for the second quarter of 2024, Capiz had the highest contribution recording a 34 percent share.
This was followed by Negros Occidental with 32.9 percent and Iloilo and Antique with 13.7 percent and 12.5 percent, respectively.
The remaining provinces had a total of less than seven percent share.
On the other hand, Capiz posted the highest decline in the regional area harvested for palay production at 31 percent.
Capiz had the biggest reduction of 19.9 percent points, followed by Aklan with 5.6 percent points, while the remaining provinces recorded decreases of less than three percent points./PN
