March 29, 2024

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – The Philippines has recorded its highest rice production level at 19.44 million metric tons (MT) this year, Agriculture Sec. William Dar said.

Ito na ‘yung new record for the country to have reached this level of rice production,” Dar told reporters on the sidelines of the groundbreaking of the P40 million processing and packaging facility at the Benguet Agri-Pinoy Trading Center (BAPTC).

This figure is higher than the 18.81 million MT produced in 2019 and the 19.07 million MT recorded in 2018, based on data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Dar said this lowers the country’s rice production deficit.

Naitaas natin ng three percent although we were looking at 93 percent so ang ibig sabihin mas kokonti na ang deficit natin,” he said.

He said the country achieved a high production rate despite the series of typhoons that hit several areas and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He added that every year, the government increases its targets to be able to cut on the rice importation needs of the whole country.

DA-Cordillera Executive Director Cameron Odsey said the region is 106 percent rice sufficient with produce mainly coming from Apayao, Kalinga, and Ifugao. – PNA