By Mariela Angella Oladive
Western Visayas region suffered a 4.5 percent decrease in corn production in 2023, after yielding an estimated 329,148.8 metric tons, as per the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA)’s Corn Production Survey (CPS).
The total harvested area for corn also saw a decline, shrinking by 6.5 percent to 104,671.7 hectares.
Breaking it down by corn variety, both white and yellow corn saw significant reductions in production this year.
White corn production fell by 6.9 percent to 76,682.9 metric tons, while yellow corn’s output decreased by 3.7 percent to 252,465.8 metric tons.
Harvested areas for white and yellow corn shrank by 11.3 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.
Negros Occidental stood out as the region’s leading corn producer, contributing 41.4 percent to the total production.
It was followed by Iloilo at 34.8 percent, and Capiz at 19.3 percent.
The provinces of Antique, Aklan, and Guimaras produced less, accounting for 3.2 percent, 1.0 percent, and 0.4 percent of the region’s total, respectively.
In terms of the harvested area, Negros Occidental again led with 59,307.0 hectares, Iloilo came in second with 25,856.0 hectares, and Capiz was third with 5,463.0 hectares.
Antique showed a positive turn with an 8.2 percent increase in its harvested area, contrasting with the declines in Aklan and Guimaras of 3.7 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively.
Guimaras had the smallest harvested area at 474.0 hectares.
The downturn in production has been attributed to factors such as adverse weather conditions and pest infestations.
