ILOILO City – The total palay production of Western Visayas in the first quarter of 2022 was estimated at 646,288.48 metric tons (MT).
It decreased by 1.99 percent or 13,089.62 MT less compared with the same quarter in 2021.
On the other hand, the total area harvested in the first quarter of 2022 was estimated at 198,953 hectares (ha) which was 1.20 percent higher compared to the same quarter last year.
Total irrigated palay production in the first quarter of 2022 was estimated at 305,239.84 metric tons, decreased by 4.36 percent in comparison to the first quarter of the previous year’s production.
In contrast, total rain-fed palay production rose by 0.24 percent with 341,048.64 metric tons compared to 2021’s production of the same period.
Irrigated and rain-fed ecosystems increased by 1.43 percent and 1.05 percent or an expansion of 1,222 hectares and 1,161 hectares, respectively in the first quarter of 2022 in comparison to 2021’s total area harvest in the same period.
Among the provinces in the region, Iloilo shared 53.6 percent to the total palay production in Western Visayas for the first quarter of 2021.
This was followed by Capiz (19.6 percent), Antique (10.1 percent), Negros Occidental (8.5 percent), Akdan (5.9 percent), and Guimaras (2.3 percent).
Compared to last year’s total palay area harvested, Aklan (13,283 hectares), Antique (17,502 hectares), Guimaras (5,632 hectares), and Iloilo (101,388 hectares) reported higher corn area harvested in the first quarter of 2022.
Meanwhile, Capiz (40,431 hectares) and Negros Occidental (20,717 hectares) obtained low total palay area harvested than their last year’s area harvested of the same period./PN
