Long dry spell dampens Mindanao corn production

MANILA, Philippines – Prime corn growing areas in Mindanao have been experiencing severe dryness exacerbated by a strong El Niño and conditions are expected to intensify, cutting down the production of local crops.

The US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service said in a March 28 report that corn production is expected to decline by 2.2 percent to 7.5 million tons from July 2015 to June this year owing to generally low rainfall and severe drought in Mindanao’s primary corn growing areas.

Yield is also seen to drop 3.7 percent to 2.88 tons per hectare.

“Rainfall over the island was deficient from November 2015 through February 2016, coinciding with the second and third of three annual corn crops,” the USDA said.

Corn production averages approximately 1.3 million tons during the second and third seasons.

The second and third corn crops are typically sown during the latter part of the summer rainy season from August through November and harvested from December through March.

“Significant rainfall deficits this year caused moisture stress to increase through the late vegetative and reproductive growth phases of the 2015/16 corn crop, reducing yields and causing an earlier than normal harvest,” the USDA said. 

Mindanao is the second largest agricultural region in the Philippines, next to Luzon in total crop acreage and production of major food grains. About 25 percent of the country’s total rice production comes from Mindanao.

It is also the biggest producer of corn, accounting for half of the total national output.

Despite the prolonged drought, corn farmers remain confident they can tap the export market in the medium term. 

The Philippine Maize Federation Inc. said corn producers could be assured of better yields following the release of new rules on the importation of genetically modified plants and crops.

“With the new joint department circular on biotechnology, local corn farmers have better chances of tapping the export market because we will continue reaping higher yields with bt corn,”  Navarro added.

For crop year 2014-2015, corn production reached 7.55 million metric tons (MT), slightly lower than the 7.671 million MT recorded in the previous crop year due to the dry spell.

The Philippine Statistics Authority has forecast corn production to decline by five percent to 2.11 million MT in the first quarter due to inadequate water supply and insufficient fertilizer application. 

The Philippines produces mostly yellow corn where 70 percent goes to feed mills while the balance is used for food.

The local corn industry covers 2.5 million hectares with average yield of four MT per hectare, and benefits around 11 million people.