Monday, December 24, 2007 C. Mindanao remains 2nd in corn production
KORONADAL CITY -- Central Mindanao corn production reached 1.123 million metric tons from January to December this year, making the region the second top corn producer among 16 regions in the country, the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics has reported.
The figure essentially puts region at the same ranking last year when it produced 1. 087 million metric tons.
For two years in a row, the top corn-producing region is Cagayan Valley in Luzon with a production volume of 1.302 million metric tons in the 12 months to December and 1.223 million metric tons in 2006.
Northern Mindanao placed third with a corn production volume of 1.039 million metric tons this year, up by 10.17 percent from 943,205 metric tons in 2006.
In 2005, Central Mindanao was the country's top corn producer with a volume of 965,921 metric tons, followed by Northern Mindanao at 935,352 metric tons.
Cagayan Valley produced only 769,506 metric tons of corn during this period.
Zaldy Boloron, Department of Agriculture-Central Mindanao corn coordinator, said the growth rate of 3.6 percent this year in the region's corn production was partly due to the establishments of three government-run modern corn post harvest and trading centers.
"There was an incremental production of 2,700 metric tons due to reduction of post harvest losses," he said, adding the figure brought in some P2.4 million income to farmers.
The post harvest and trading centers are located in the towns of Kabacan in North Cotabato, Banga in South Cotabato and Malungon in Sarangani.
This year, the country's corn production totaled 6.739 million metric tons, wherein the whole of Mindanao contributed 55.7 percent or 3.750 million metric tons, the BAS data showed.
The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao has corn production this year of 883,748 metric tons; Davao region, 355,394 metric tons; Zamboanga peninsula, 220,377 metric tons; and Caraga Region, 128,792 metric tons.
Central Mindanao, which has at least 434,000 hectares of land planted to corn tilled by at least 225,000 farmers, covers the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani. (BSS)
