Palay production down in Q1 2026 due irrigation delays

Palay production in the first quarter of 2026 declined by 6.26% year-on-year, according to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The palay harvest stood at 4,40,567.90 metric tons during the January to March 2026 period, down from 4,698,724.31 in the same period last year.

In a chance interview with reporters on Thursday, Department of Agriculture (DA) spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the palay output decline in the previous quarter was due to irrigation delays to some 40,000 hectares of rice being serviced by the Upper Pampanga River Irrigation System (UPRIS).

Portions of UPRIS, which serves the province of Nueva Ecija and parts of Pampanga, Tarlac, and Bulacan, was damaged by illegal quarrying activities late last year.

“There was a delay in planting because of the damage to UPRIS… It was about 40,000 [hectares],” de Mesa said.

The DA official said now that the irrigation system is repaired there was a “quick turnaround” to be expected in palay harvest in the second quarter of 2026.

“Those [affected areas] will be added to the production in the second quarter,” de Mesa said. —RF, GMA News