PH registers record-high rice production in 2023

(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Saturday that the Philippines produced a record-high 20 million metric tons (MT) of rice last year, which is 1.5 percent higher than the country's rice production in the same period in 2022.

In his speech during the ceremonial palay harvesting and distribution of various assistance in Candaba, Pampanga, the rice production in 2023 registered a 1.5 percent or 300,000-MT increase from the 19.76 million MT of palay produced in 2022.

He said this came from the 0.23 percent increase in area harvested and 1.3 percent improvement in yield.

«Because of our joint hard work, we were able to record a production of more than 20 million metric tons of rice last 2023,» the President said.

Marcos said the record-high volume of rice production last year contributed to the overall value of production in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, which is recorded at P1.763 trillion in 2023, higher than the P1.757 trillion level in 2022.

He attributed the increase in last year's rice production to the government's efforts to provide and distribute high-quality seedlings and fertilizers to farmers.

The President led the ceremonial harvesting of palay in Barangay Mandili in Candaba, where he also distributed various assistance to farmers, including hauling trucks, seeds and financial assistance, among others, to more than 12,000 beneficiaries and 10 farmers' cooperatives and associations.

The Department of Agriculture (DA), which the President previously held, also provided fertilizer discount vouchers worth P99.8 million in the province.

It also distributed P5 million in grants for working capital and hauling vehicles to 150 farmers and the construction of agricultural infrastructure.

But the President vowed to provide more government support programs for increased rice production in 2024.

He said the government was eyeing more solar-powered irrigation projects to provide water supply to about 180,000 hectares of agricultural land nationwide.

«The key is irrigation, so we are looking at the system that is being developed, and I think we will try solar-powered irrigation,» the President said.

«That is our plan to improve our situation in the