The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – La Union Provincial Statistical Office conducted the Palay Production Survey (PPS), Corn Production Survey (CPS), and the monthly Rice and Corn Stocks Survey: Household (RCSS:H) or formerly known as Palay and Corn Stocks Survey (PCSS) on 01 to10 April 2023.

The PPS and CPS are conducted on a quarterly basis while the Rice and Corn Stocks Survey: Household (RCSS:H) is conducted monthly. The PPS and CPS aims to generate estimates on palay and corn production, area, yield and other production-related data that serve as inputs for policy making and programs on palay and corn. On the other hand, RCSS: H assesses the current rice and corn inventories in sample households across the country.

Data gathered for both PCPS and RCSS:H are inputs to the Performance of Agriculture Report (PAR) and accordingly to the preparation of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Moreover, the survey supports the data needs of planners, policy and decision makers, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector particularly the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Department of Agriculture (DA) and its agencies such as Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), and the general public.

In 4^th quarter 2022, the key results of the PPS in La Union are the following:

• Palay production increased by 8.08 percent in 4^th quarter 2022 at 119,259.50 metric tons compared with the production in the same period of 2021 at 110,345.00 metric tons.

• Area harvested for palay in the province went down by 1.91 percent from 27,695.00 hectares in 4^th quarter 2021 to 27,166.76 hectares in 4^th quarter 2022.

• Palay’s yield per hectare increased by 10.30 percent from 3.98 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2021 to 4.39 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2022.

Meanwhile, the key results of the CPS in La Union in 4^th quarter 2022 are the following:

• The corn production in the province was posted at 1,114.82 metric tons which recorded an increase of 4.78 percent from the 1,064.00 metric tons production in 4^th quarter 2021.

• The area harvested for corn increased by 1.57 percent from 319.00 hectares in 4^th quarter 2021 to 324.00 hectares in 4^th quarter 2022.

• Corn’s yield per hectare increased from 3.34 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2021 to 3.44 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2022.

In La Union, the 16 hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) for both surveys enumerated 280 sample palay farming household for Palay Production Survey (PPS) and 378 sample corn farming households for Corn Production Survey (CPS).  For RCSS:H, they revisited 120 sample palay farming households, 45 sample corn farming households and 90 sample non-farming households in various sample barangays in the province.

All the data and information collected by the SRs from sample households are for statistical purposes only and shall not be used for purposes of taxation or investigation as provided under Republic Act (RA) 10625. 

SGD. DANITES E. TEÑIDO, Ph.D.
Chief Statistical Specialist

MAQ/MFC