Farmers’ group notes discrepancy in PSA latest rice stock records

MANILA, Philippines — A farmers’ group on Thursday noted 800,000 metric tons worth of discrepancies in the April 1 rice stock levels and output released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) cited the PSA’s latest inventory report, which showed that the country’s rice stocks totaled 1.64 million tons as of April 1, 2024 — only sufficient for 44 days of national consumption on daily usage of 37,500 metric tons.

However, the FFF noted that stock levels from January 1 — starting inventories, actual rice output, and documented import arrivals during the first quarter of the year — indicated that the stocks should have been around 2.46 million tons or good for about 66 days of consumption.

“The discrepancy of about 800,000 metric tons, equivalent to about 22 days supply, is very significant. If the PSA data are correct, it means that our palay output has been overstated all along,” FFF national manager Raul Montemayor said in a statement.

“They also imply that our rice supply will tighten in the coming months, especially since El Niño’s impact on the second quarter harvest is expected to be more serious,” he added.

READ: ‘Wild, inexplicable’ rice data hit

PSA data also showed that rice output during the first quarter of 2024 declined by about 2 percent, with yields dropping by 1.8 percent on average and harvested area decreased by only 0.13 percent.

Due to this, the FFF urged the PSA to review its data-gathering methodologies and synchronize them with the information systems of the Department of Agriculture to avoid confusion and miscalculations in determining actual rice stock levels and outputs.

It noted that it flagged even larger discrepancies in past years, with palay output figures in 2022 possibly being overestimated by nearly 25 percent or 5 million tons.

INQUIRER.net has reached out to the PSA for comment but has yet to receive a response as of writing.