MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippines is targeting to produce 19.32 million metric tons (MMT) rice next year, a senior government official said today.
This is 4 percent higher than the projected 18.58 MMT the Philippines will produce by the end of 2013.
Agriculture Undersecretary Dante Delima said rice production for 2014 could still go up once the government starts the implementation of interventions such as the expansion in irrigation facilities.
The Philippines has been shooting for 100-percent rice self sufficiency this year. But a series of natural disasters such as typhoon Haiyan, locally named "Yolanda," forced the government to push back its timetable for the sufficiency target.
Delima said the country's rice self-sufficiency currently stands at 97 percent.
Last year, good weather and the increase in irrigation facilities enabled the Philippines to produce 18.03 MMT of rice. Rice production in 2012 was 8.1 percent higher than the volume produced the previous year.