Philippine Jan-Mar Paddy Rice Output Up 1.7% At 3.68 Mln MT

Philippine paddy rice output in the first three months of the year rose 1.7% on year to 3.68 million metric tons despite extreme weather conditions in many parts of the country, the agriculture department said Monday. Unusually lower temperatures in January followed by a dry spell from February until March resulted in lower yields in affected areas, the department's Bureau of Agriculture Statistics said. 
 
However, higher production in other regions made up for losses in the affected areas, the BAS said. For the April to June period, paddy rice output may rise 2.9% to 3.01 million tons, due to an increase in planting area. More land was planted to the grain in many rice producing areas because of sufficient irrigation water and input subsidies from the government. 
 
Production in the July to September period is expected to rise 6.6% to 3.2 million MT following an expected 5% increase in planting area. "Some farmers intend to plant early in anticipation of early and adequate
release of irrigation water," the BAS said. 
 
Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said around 600,000 hectares of rice farmlands will be planted this year to high-yielding certified seeds, which could dramatically boost output this year. The department, however, will continue to maintain a production target this year of 16.2 million MT, up 5% from last year's record output of 15.3 million
tons.
 
  "It's better to under-promise and over-deliver," Yap said. A major buyer of rice in Asia, the Philippines plans to buy around 1.6 million MT of the grain this year.