THE Davao Region has recorded a notable increase in palay and corn production during the first quarter of 2025, continuing its upward momentum from the previous year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
Based on the latest Palay and Corn Production Survey, published on June 18, the region’s palay output reached 146.85 thousand metric tons, an increase of 14.2 thousand metric tons or 10.7 percent compared to the same quarter last year.
Corn production also grew to 73.51 thousand metric tons, up by 11.1 thousand metric tons or 7.3 percent year-on-year.
Leading the output was Davao del Sur, which contributed the highest share to both crops, accounting for 44 percent of palay production and 35.6 percent of corn. Davao del Norte followed with 24.7 percent of palay output and 15.5 percent of corn.
Davao de Oro also contributed significantly, providing 19.9 percent of palay and 15.07 percent of corn. Davao Oriental supplied 11 percent of palay and 15.13 percent of corn, while Davao Occidental had the smallest palay share at 0.4 percent but produced a notable 18.8 percent of the region’s total corn.
This upward trend reflects a sustained momentum from 2024.
In the fourth quarter of last year, Davao Occidental saw a 9.9 percent increase in corn output, reaching 15,911 metric tons from 14,475 metric tons in the same period of 2023. The growth was driven by an 8.3 percent expansion in the harvested area, from 8,961 to 9,701 hectares, and a slight increase in yield per hectare from 1.62 to 1.64 metric tons.
White corn remained the dominant variety in the province, making up most of the production at 15,176 metric tons, while yellow corn reached 735 metric tons.
Though the yield of yellow corn declined slightly from 3.45 to 3.39 metric tons per hectare, its overall volume still rose by over 13 percent.
The PSA-Davao also reported consistent growth across other provinces throughout 2024. Although national corn production slightly declined by 1.5 percent in late 2024 due to unfavorable weather, palay production increased by 2.8 percent, showing the Davao Region’s strong contribution to national food supply and its resilience to challenges.
With this continued progress in production volume and land productivity, the Davao Region is expected to maintain stable agricultural output in the coming months. The data were obtained through PSA’s quarterly Palay and Corn Production Survey, which tracks trends and estimates in crop production nationwide. DEF