Higher ‘palay,’ corn output seen in 2H

The Philippines expects higher palay (unmilled rice) and corn production in the second half of the year, because of expansions in harvest areas and better yield results from increased government interventions in all rice and corn producing regions.

In its latest forecast, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) said that the probable palay production for July to December 2013 is at 10.46 million metric tons (MT), or 3.1 percent higher than last year’s 10.14 million MT.