PSA cuts palay, corn forecasts for 2015

After five consecutive years of record growth, the country’s palay (unmilled rice) and corn production this year is expected to fall below their 2014 levels, the Philippine Statistics Authority-Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (PAS-BAS) said in a report.

In its July Round Rice and Corn Situation and Outlook report, the PSA-BAS said palay production for 2015 may reach 18.86 million metric tons, or 0.6 percent below the 18.97 million MT output in 2014, as harvest areas contracted because of insufficient water supply and intense heat from the El Nino phenomenon