The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has recorded 509,168 metric tons (MT) in palay production and 564,311 metric tons of corn output in the Ilocos Region from January to June this year based on the latest survey conducted.

Based on the data obtained by the Philippine News Agency on Monday, palay production of Pangasinan reached 365,040 MT, Ilocos Norte at 74,996 MT, Ilocos Sur at 72,392 MT and La Union at 36,741 MT.

Pangasinan comprised 71.7 percent of palay production in the whole region.

The area harvested in the region for the first half of this year reached 104,089 hectares which provide 4.89 MT per hectare yield in the region.

The total production of palay in January to June was slightly lower than in the same period last year.

However, Ilocos still ranked fifth in the palay production in the whole country, according to PSA.

Central Luzon has the highest yield.

In corn output, Pangasinan harvested 360,515 MT; Ilocos Sur, 105,022 MT; Ilocos Norte, 61,999 MT; and La Union, 36,775 MT.

Of the total number, 93.3 percent is yellow corn and 6.7 percent is white corn.

The corn produced in 93,575 hectares of land in the region resulted in 6.03 metric tons yield per hectare in the entire region.

It also constitutes the 14.4 percent share of the region in the corn production of the entire country.

PSA Ilocos regional office chief statistical specialist Juanito Yabes, in an earlier press conference, said there were factors that affected the yield of palay and corn in the region.

“There was an increase in the other provinces as well as a decrease in some provinces and this was due to the typhoons experienced in the region, lesser usage of fertilizer, the occurrence of pest and diseases, as well as other destructive calamities,” he said.

He added corn is likely not to be affected by some of these factors as it is more resilient as compared to palay.

Yabes said the production in the region will be enough for the needs of the residents if it will not be sold by the farmers outside of the region.

PSA Ilocos regional director lawyer Shiela De Guzman said the data were transmitted to the concerned agencies to be used for their planning and assessment in formulating policies that would be helpful to the farmers. (PNA)