Palay output went down while and corn production grew in Region I in 1st quarter 2018 as compared to its respective level in 1st quarter 2017.

Palay 

The overall palay production of Region I in 1st quarter 2018 went down by 1.1 percent as both irrigated and rainfed ecosystems registered decline in output. The provinces of La Union and Pangasinan posted lower production performance. The harvest area decreased from 68,957 hectares to 67,425 hectares as there were unrealized plantings in Ilocos Norte and Pangasinan due to late harvesting in 4th quarter 2017 and late release of water from irrigation systems. Some plantings scheduled to be harvested in March have moved in April as the maturity of some palay crop was prolonged due to the presence of rains and cooler temperature. Shifting to other crops planting was also observed. Nonetheless, the overall yield per hectare improved from 4.83 metric tons to 4.88 metric tons due to the absence of destructive typhoons and higher utilization of high quality seeds.

The province of Pangasinan shared 69.2 percent to the total palay production in Region I in 1st quarter 2018. Its palay production went down from 233,143 metric tons in 1st quarter 2017 to 227,883 tons this 1st quarter 2018. There were unrealized plantings due to later release of irrigation water. Also, some farmers shifted to other crops like ampalaya, tomato, gourd and eggplant sue to lesser water supply. However, the overall yield per hectare improved from 4.77 metric tons to 4.81 metric tons due to increased usage of high quality seeds and absence of destructive typhoons.
 
The province of Ilocos Norte, which ranked second in terms of volume of palay production in 1st quarter 2018, posted lower output as compared to its 1st quarter 2017 level. The production during the quarter was posted at 47,296 metric tons, lower than the 48,528 metric tons recorded in the same period last year. There were late plantings due to late harvesting in 4th quarter 2017. As a result, plantings expected to be harvested during the quarter will be harvested in the next quarter. The yield per hectare, however, improved from 5.00 metric tons to 5.10 metric tons.    Palay production in the province of La Union increased by 4.8 percent in 1st quarter 2018. From its level of production of 27,459 metric tons in 1st quarter 2017, it went up to 28,776 metric tons this 1st quarter 2018. More plantings were noted due to early release of irrigation water. Its overall yield per hectare improved from 4.94 metric tons to 5.05 metric tons.
 
Palay production in Ilocos Sur also registered positive growth in 1st quarter 2018. From the output of 23,663 metric tons in the same period in 2017, it grew to 25,274 metric tons. More plantings were done due to availability of water from the rehabilitated irrigation systems. The overall yield per hectare improved from 4.94 metric tons to 4.98 metric tons due to increased usage of high quality seeds. 

The province of Pangasinan shared the largest bulk of palay production with 69.2 percent, followed by Ilocos Norte with 14.4 percent, La Union with 8.7 percent, and Ilocos Sur with 7.7 percent. In terms of harvest area by ecosystem, 99.6 percent was harvested from irrigated areas.

Corn

 
Corn production of Region I in the 1st quarter 2018 went up by 1.3 percent from the output in the same period last year of 380,415 metric tons. All the provinces posted higher production, except Pangasinan. The factors that may contributed to the overall growth in output include the absence of destructive typhoons, availability and higher utilization of high quality seeds, and better quality of produce. The harvest area expanded from 62,710 hectares to 63,235 hectares, while the yield per hectare improved from 6.07 metric tons to 6.09 metric tons.

The province of Pangasinan, which ranked first in terms of volume of production in 1st quarter 2018, posted lower output of 268,567 metric tons as compared to 268,567 metric tons recorded in 1st quarter 2017. Lesser plantings were noted due high soil moisture content during the planting season.  Also, insufficient water supply during the vegetative and reproductive stages caused the yield per hectare to go down from 6.29 metric tons from 6.25 metric tons.
 
The province of Ilocos Sur registered positive growth in corn production in 1st quarter 2018. Its output went up to 60,834 metric tons from 47,487 metric tons in 1st quarter 2017. More plantings were observed due to increased demand, and more usage of high yielding varieties. Thus, area harvested expanded from 8,017 hectares to 10,158 hectares. The yield per hectare also grew from 5.92 metric tons to                5.99 metric tons.
 
Corn production of Ilocos Norte increased from 41,090 metric tons in 1st quarter 2017 to 42,882 metric tons this 1st quarter 2018. Increased plantings were noted due to increased demand. The overall yield per hectare of the province grew from 5.34 metric tons to 5.56 metric tons due to increased usage of high quality seeds.
 
The province of La Union also registered higher corn production in 1st quarter 2018. From the volume of production of 23,271 metric tons in 1st quarter 2017, it went up to 26,142 metric tons this 1st quarter 2018. Early harvesting was done to catch up with higher price. The overall yield per hectare improved from 5,42 metric tons to 5.85 metric tons.

SGD. SOCRATES L. RAMORES

Regional Director