Palay harvest seen at record volume

The country's palay harvest in the second quarter may hit a record 4.36 million metric tons, lifting total output in the first half to over nine million MT, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said.

- By JASPER EMMANUEL ARCALAS

In its latest forecast, the PSA said palay production from April to June could hit 4.36 million MT, the highest second-quarter harvest the country would register if the estimate materializes.

The projection is 13.4 percent higher than the 3.85 million MT actual harvest in the second quarter last year, according to the PSA.

With the latest second-quarter production estimate, the total palay harvest in the first half may reach nearly 9.06 million MT, marking the second time in the country's history that output in the six-month period breached the nine-million-MT mark.