Lower growth for corn output seen

The Department of Agriculture (DA) expects a lower growth for corn production this year due to a drought that is similarly affecting rice production.

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Dennis Araullo said corn production is expected to reach only 6.5 million to 6.7 million metric tons (MMT) compared to the original target of 6.9 MMT.

Last year’s corn  production was  6.08 MMT.

“We expect to lose close to 200,000 tons of corn to the drought,” Araullo said, adding that the decrease would be much larger if not for a projected  bumper crop in Mindanao which accounts for around 60 percent of the country’s total output.

To help mitigate the  adverse effects of the drought, the DA plans to  plant corn in about 70,000 hectares of traditional rice areas where farmers are unable to plant due to the prevailing drier weather conditions.  — Marianne Go