A FARMER winnows freshly pounded rice grains. EV ESPIRITU
A total of 4.53 million hectares of the country’s 14.1 million ha of agricultural land are devoted to rice production.
Rice production area in the country is smaller compared to rice exporting countries like China (29.93 million ha), India (44.10 million ha), Indonesia (12.88 million ha), Thailand (10.96 million ha) and Vietnam (7.44 million ha).
Palay production in the Philippines: 12.389 million metric tons (MT) in 2000, 14.603 million MT in 2005 and 18.57 million MT in 2012.
Top 10 rice producing provinces (2000-2006 data): Nueva Ecija (average of 1,113,284 MT), Isabela (1,006,422 MT), Pangasinan (832,114 MT), Iloilo (763,893 MT), Cagayan (548,369 MT), Tarlac (469,316 MT), Camarines Sur (451,489 MT), North Cotabato (418,197 MT), Leyte (417,820 MT) and Negros Occidental (373,254 MT)
The Philippines feeds 20 people per hectare of harvested area. Thailand feeds six people while Vietnam feeds 12.
Sources: Department of Agriculture and Rice Figures in the Philippines and Philippine Rice Industry Primer consolidated and published by Philippine Rice Research Institute