DA expects double digit farm growth for 1H of 2011

The government is projecting a healthy farm growth for 2011 and a double digit growth for the first semester, according to a statement Tuesday from the Agriculture Department.

“This is the reason why we have been constantly delaying rice importation. Anywhere in the country, we see good, healthy crops especially palay. We’re hoping that palay will recover this first semester,” Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala told reporters in an interview.

He said it was the dismal performance of the crops subsector that pulled down farm output in 2010.

“The past year was really terrible. Drought destroyed most of out crops. If we could improve crops performance, then I think a double-digit growth for the first semester is very promising,” he said.

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, the country’s palay or paddy rice production may reach 7.64 million metric ton (MT) during the first six months of 2011, an incremental output of about 15.4 percent over last year’s 6.62 million MT.

The Statistics Bureau said the increase would come from the expansion in harvest area by 9.6 percent or by 174.3 thousand hectares from the 1.82 million hectares in the previous year. Yield is also expected to increase from 3.64 MT per hectare to 3.83 MT per hectare.

Harvest areas in the rice-producing regions in Cagayan Valley, Western Visayas, Bicol, and Region 12. These areas would account for 79.6 percent of the probable expansion in harvest area at the national level.

In Central Luzon, the lower yield is attributed to lesser use of hybrid seeds due to high cost of inputs while farmers in Muslim Mindanao are pessimistic of the probable adverse effects of La Niña on palay yield in marsh lands.

In 2010, paddy rice output slid by 3.04 percent to 15.77 million MT, although output rebounded in the fourth quarter posting a growth of 21.11 percent.

The contraction was due to the prolonged dry spell brought by the El Niño phenomenon that hit the country during the year. The occurrence of super typhoon Juan in October 2010 also contributed to the decline in production.

Alcala said that as of last week, the country still has 47 days worth of stock or about 1.7 million MT rice stored in government warehouses.

He said that the National Food Authority Council is yet to come up with an initial volume for the planned initial rice importation.

“We’re not raring to go to the market since we still have ample stocks,” he said adding that the Food Agency Council will review the recommendation of the Inter-Agency on Rice and Corn. — GMANews.TV