Western Visayas, one of the major sources of rice in the country, produced lesser palay or unmilled rice last year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA-6).
The total palay production in the region in 2023 was estimated at 2,263,158.3 metric tons (MT), lower by 2.5 percent compared to 2,321,593.7 MT in 2022.
The decrease in the palay output was reflected in the area harvested, which declined by 2.2 percent from 681,300.3 hectares in 2023 to 666,296 hectares in 2022.
Furthermore, the region’s irrigated palay production increased by 0.4 percent to 1,115.6 thousand MT last year, while the total rainfed palay production declined by 5.2 percent to 62.890.2 MT.
Of the province in the region, Iloilo posted the highest contribution to the production of Palay in the region at 49.8 percent and followed by Negros Occidental with 23.3%. Antique, Capiz, Aklan, and Guimaras contributed to the remaining production.
Iloilo also posted the highest contribution to the total harvested area at 47.1%, followed by Negros Occidental with 21.5%, Capiz with 14.3%, Antique with 11.0%, Aklan 3.8%, and Guimaras 2.4%.IMT
Photo by Elyrose Naorbe/IMT NEWS
