The country's production of unmilled rice, or palay, is projected to increase in the last quarter of the year, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed. 

In a report on Thursday, Dec. 21, the PSA said the palay output from October to December may increase by 1.3 percent to 7.32 million metric tons compared to the estimated 7.22 million metric tons in the same period last year.

The new estimate was based on the standing crop as of Nov. 1, the statistics agency said.

This forecast, however, remains below the initial estimate of 7.35 million metric tons issued on Oct. 1.

The PSA said the area planted for rice may decrease by 1.5 percent to 1.75 million hectares, while yield per hectare may improve 2.7 percent to 4.17 metric tons.

It added that over 10.1 million hectares or 57.8 percent of the updated standing crop has been harvested, which translated to palay output of 4.35 million metric tons.

Of the area remaining to be harvested, 32.1 percent were at the reproductive stage, 60.1 percent were at the maturing stage, and 7.9 percent were at the vegetative stage.

The PSA also revised its estimates for corn production for the last quarter to 1.94 million metric tons, which is a decline of 2 percent from the year-earlier figure of 1.98 million metric tons.

The new estimate is also lower by 1.1 percent than the initial forecast for the period of 1.96 million metric tons issued on Oct. 1.

Area planted to corn during the period is estimated to have shrunk to 1.9 percent year on year to 615.98 thousand hectares.

The yield per hectare of corn is seen to maintain its year-earlier estimate of 3.15 metric tons.

Of the 615.98 thousand hectares of harvested area, about 292.20 thousand hectares or 47.4 percent of the updated standing crop has been harvested, which means 1.01 million tons of corn output were recorded.

About 1.4 percent of the remaining corn crop was at the vegetative stage, 43.5 percent at the reproductive stage, and 55.1 percent at the maturing stage.