The Philippines produced a record 4.63 million metric tons of palay (unhusked rice) from April to June, the highest second-quarter harvest recorded since 1987, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the harvest was 5.7 percent higher than the same period last year, driven by a larger area planted and harvested by farmers.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the record harvest reflects government efforts to strengthen food production and improve support for rice farmers.
“The agency is applying lessons from the 2024 El Niño, shifting its strategy from crisis response to early preparation to safeguard both food supplies and farmer incomes,” Tiu Laurel said.
The record output came from 1.04 million hectares of harvested rice fields, an increase of 6.5 percent from a year earlier. While average yield slightly declined to 4.47 metric tons per hectare from 4.50 metric tons, the larger harvested area more than made up for the decrease.
Tiu Laurel also credited improved farm prices following the four-month rice import ban from September to December last year, which encouraged more farmers to plant rice.
The strong second-quarter harvest pushed the country’s total palay production for the first half of the year to 9 million metric tons.
Despite the record harvest, the DA is preparing for the possible impact of a strong El Niño, with the PSA projecting third-quarter palay production to fall by 13.3 percent to 3.25 million metric tons from 3.75 million metric tons in the same period last year.
“Food security means being proactive. We must keep farmers planting despite higher costs and the threat of El Niño,” Tiu Laurel said.
To help farmers cope, the DA said the National Food Authority (NFA) will expand its palay-buying program, purchasing about 500,000 metric tons at higher prices of ₱21 per kilogram for wet palay and ₱25 to ₱27 per kilogram for clean and dry palay.
The NFA has about ₱20 billion for palay procurement this year, more than double last year’s ₱9 billion budget.
The DA will also continue providing financial assistance, crop insurance, irrigation support, quality seeds, farm machinery, and investments in drying, storage, and other post-harvest facilities. It will also intensify crop monitoring and field validation to reduce the effects of El Niño.
For consumers, the agency said the ₱20-per-kilo rice under the Benteng Bigas Meron (BBM) program at Kadiwa ng Pangulo outlets will continue for eligible beneficiaries.
The DA also assured the public that it will not impose a rice import ban during the current harvest season to maintain sufficient rice supply and stable prices.
As of Aug. 2, rice imports had reached 3.5 million metric tons, according to the DA.
