Mindanao grains output rises in Q1

MANILA, Philippines - Rice and corn production in Mindanao rose 4.78% and 22.31%, respectively, in the first quarter from the same period last year, the Mindanao Economic Development Council (MEDCo) said in a statement on Tuesday, citing data from the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Agricultural Statistics. The statement said Mindanao produced 999,212 metric tons (MT) of rice in the first three months of the year, up 4.78% in the same period last year. Bulk of this rice output came from Region XII (the South Cotabato-Cotabato-Sultan Kudarat-Sarangani-General Santos City corridor) which contributed 380,327 MT to the total. The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and Region XI (Davao Region) also contributed the next biggest volumes at 193,228 MT and 142, 928 MT, respectively. Among the Mindanao regions, Caraga registered the fastest growth at 12.85%. This was followed by Region X at 10.92%, Region XII at 10.11%, Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) at 5.93% and Region XI (Davao Region) at 4.06%. Rice production in ARMM, however, actually contracted 9.10% in the same comparative periods. "We would like to reiterate that the current rice supply is sufficient to meet the daily requirements of the island and the current rice prices are expected to go down during the harvest season," the same statement quoted MEDCo chairman Undersecretary Virgilio L. Leyretana, Sr. as saying. Around 3.546 million bags of rice are needed to meet Mindanao’s rice requirements before the harvest season month. Actual rice inventory is expected to reach 3.805 million bags of rice by that time. This implies that the rice supply is sufficient to meet the needs during the lean months of June to September. Rice supply is expected to rise in the harvest season in August. Meanwhile, corn production rose 22.31% to 883,409 MT from 722,269 MT in the same comparative periods. For this crop, Caraga region also registered the highest growth, Mindanao-wide, at 56.55%. Following Caraga in terms of corn production growth are Region XI at 51.38%, Region X (Northern Mindanao) at 40.18%, Region XII at 35.51%. But corn production in Region IX declined 2.10%. ARMM registered lower production for both crops at 9.10% for rice and 11.09% for corn. - BusinessWorld