DA: Palay harvest drops to lowest levels since 2019
Palay (or unmilled rice) production in the first quarter of this year reached its lowest level since 2019 as farmers planted less of the household staple, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The statistics agency recorded that palay output totaled 4.4 million metric tons (MT) in the first quarter of 2026, down 6.2 percent from 4.7 million MT in the same period a year ago.
This was the lowest output level since 2019, when production totaled 4.41 million, according to the PSA data.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) said on Thursday that farmers cultivated less palay because of lower farm-gate prices in the previous crop season, affecting their planting intention.
Bad weather
According to Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, unfavorable weather conditions in the last quarter of last year affected the productivity of palay farmers.
“Most of the harvested crops in the first quarter were planted during late 2025, when a series of typhoons brought heavy rains and flooding to major rice-growing areas, including Cagayan Valley and Western Visayas, damaging standing crops and limiting production potential,” the DA said in a statement.
De Mesa, also the DA spokesperson, said that about 40,000 hectares served by the Upper Pampanga River Integrated Irrigation Systems in Nueva Ecija province experienced planting delays because of the damage in the irrigation systems.
“This issue has since been resolved, and the output will be added to the second quarter,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the closing ceremony for the 1st Philippines’ Hand in Hand National Investment Forum in Mandaluyong City.
The PSA said that the area harvested reached 1.08 million hectares in the January to March period, down 5.6 percent from last year.
Despite lower first-quarter production, the DA is expecting a stronger harvest in the coming months due to the improvement in palay prices.
“Many farmers decided not to plant last season because they were still recovering from losses when palay prices were between P10 and P12 per kilo,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said.
