Output of the country’s rice paddy may decline in the third quarter of the year, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) estimated.

Based on the latest PSA report, production of palay is now estimated at 3.788 million metric tons from July to September, down from an earlier projection of 3.876 million metric tons.

The PSA said its new estimate was based on the standing crop as of Aug. 1, 2023.

The new estimate remains below the initial forecast of 2.56 million metric tons issued on July 1.

The PSA said the area planted for rice may drop 0.5 percent to 926,950 hectares from 931,750 last year, while yield per hectare may grow to 4.09 metric tons or by 0.5 percent.

The PSA said about 168,070 hectares or 18.1 percent of the updated standing crop has been harvested, with a recorded palay output of 693.51 thousand metric tons.

Of the area remaining to be harvested, 14.7 percent of the crop is at the vegetative stage, 55.5 percent at the reproductive stage, and 29.8 percent at the maturing stage.

Meanwhile, corn output for the third quarter may increase to 2.4 million metric tons or by 5.4 percent, which would represent an improvement over the year-earlier output of 2.35 million metric tons.

The new estimate, however, is lower than the PSA’s initial forecast for the period of 2.56 million metric tons issued on July 1.

Area planted to corn during the period is estimated to rise to 1.8 percent year on year to 820.73 thousand hectares.

The yield per hectare of corn is thought to increase 3.8 percent year on year to 3.02 metric tons, compared to the 2.91 metric tons actual yield a year earlier.

“About 207.59 thousand hectares or 25.3 percent of the 820.73 thousand hectares updated harvest area of standing corn has been harvested, translating to 580.42 thousand metric tons of corn output,” the statistics agency said. (Xander Dave G. Ceballos)