ILOILO City – Palay (unhusked rice) production in Western Visayas dropped significantly in 2024, with total output estimated at 1,891,368 metric tons — a 16.4 percent decrease from 2023 levels, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Region 6.
In its latest report, the PSA-6 also noted a 14.2 percent reduction in the total harvested area, which shrank to 571,971 hectares from 666,296 hectares the previous year.
The findings, based on the Palay Production Survey conducted by the PSA’s Crops Statistics Division, aim to inform policymaking and projects targeting the region’s agricultural sector.
Rain-fed palay production in 2024 was recorded at 958,484 metric tons, a significant drop from 1,147,525 metric tons in 2023.
Similarly, irrigated palay production fell to 932,884 metric tons, marking a 16.4 percent decline or 182,749 metric tons less than the previous year.
In terms of harvested area, rain-fed palay shrank by 14.2 percent reaching 313,472 hectares compared to 2023.
Meanwhile, irrigated palay saw an almost identical decline of 14.0 percent, with the harvested area decreasing from 300,744 hectares to 258,500 hectares.
Among the provinces in Western Visayas, Iloilo contributed 44 percent of the total palay production in 2024, followed by Negros Occidental (22.6 percent), Capiz (16.4 percent), Antique (10 percent), Aklan (4.1 percent), and Guimaras (2.8 percent).
However, Iloilo also recorded the highest reduction in harvested area, contributing 8.4 percentage points of the region’s total 14.2 percent decline.
The province’s harvested area fell from 311,306 hectares in 2023 to 255,422 hectares in 2024.
Other provinces that reported declines include Negros Occidental and Antique contributed 1.8 percentage points each; Capiz and Aklan both recorded 1.0 percentage points; while Guimaras posted a minimal decline of 0.1 percentage points.
Despite the decline, Iloilo still accounted for the largest share of harvested area in the region at 44.7 percent, followed by Negros Occidental with 20.4 percent. Capiz and Antique contributed 17.2 percent and 9.7 percent, respectively, while Aklan and Guimaras made up 4.9 percent and 3.3 percent./PN