The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) – La Union Provincial Statistical Office carries out the Palay Production Survey (PPS) and Corn Production Survey (CPS), on 01 to 10 April 2024 and the monthly Rice and Corn Stocks Survey: Household (RCSS:H), formerly known as Palay and Corn Stocks Survey (PCSS) on 01 to 05 April 2024.

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 aims to generate rice and corn stock inventories in sample households across the country and assess the stocks levels compared with the same period in the previous year, and the previous month.

Data gathered for both PCPS and RCSS:H are inputs to the Value of Production in Philippine Agriculture and Fisheries and to the preparation of GDP. Moreover, said surveys support 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 attached agencies such as Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice), Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), and the general public.

In 4^th quarter 2023, the key results of the PPS in La Union are the following:

• Palay production increased by 3.40 percent in 4^th quarter 2023 at 123,318.36 metric tons compared with the production in the same period of 2022 at 119,259.50 metric tons.

• Area harvested for palay in the province went up by 0.70 percent from 27,166.76 hectares in 4^th quarter 2022 to 27,356.51 hectares in 4^th quarter 2023.

• Palay’s yield per hectare increased by 2.73 percent from 4.39 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2022 to 4.51 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2023.

Meanwhile, the key results of the CPS in La Union in 4^th quarter 2023 are the following:

• The corn production in the province was posted at 1,141.99 metric tons which recorded an increase of 2.44 percent from the 11,114.82 metric tons production in 4^th quarter 2022.

• The area harvested for corn decreased by 0.73 percent from 324.00 hectares in 4^th quarter 2022 to 321.65 hectares in 4^th quarter 2023.

• Corn’s yield per hectare increased from 3.44 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2022 to 3.55 metric tons per hectare in 4^th quarter 2023.

In La Union, the 21 hired Statistical Researchers (SRs) for both surveys will enumerate 280 sample palay farming household for the PPS and 352 sample corn farming households for the CPS. For RCSS:H, they will revisit 120 sample palay farming households, 45 sample corn farming households and 90 sample non-farming households in various sample barangays in the province.

The PSA provides assurance to the public that the data collected in these surveys are exclusively for statistical purposes. Any information obtained from respondents will be treated with the utmost confidentiality, in line with the provisions of Republic Act No. 10625.

SGD. DANITES E. TEÑIDO, PhD
Chief Statistical Specialist

/MAQ/MFC