Manila: The Marcos administration’s intensified agricultural support and increased areas harvested for palay (unhusked rice) have led to a historic-high yield for the Philippines in the first half of the year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) announced.

According to Philippines News Agency, the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) revealed that the country achieved over 9.077 million metric tons (MT) of palay production from January to June. This figure surpasses the previous all-time high of 9.026 MT for the same period in 2023, as well as last year’s 8.53 million MT.

Agriculture spokesperson Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa noted that the government’s intervention, primarily focused on achieving food security and affordability as directed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., is producing results. He highlighted the significant increase of almost 600,000 metric tons as a historic achievement.

De Mesa attributed the success to government support in areas such as mechanization and irrigation, along with the distribution of high-quality seeds. He noted that 37,085 farm machines have been distributed to 7,338 farmer groups, and 12,445 units of farm machinery and equipment were given to 6,869 farmer cooperatives and associations, according to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) data of the Presidential Communications Office.

Additionally, 101 out of the 151 targeted rice processing system facilities are operational as of May, and 88,646 hectares have been irrigated under the administration’s irrigation expansion, benefiting 1.27 million farmers nationwide. Approximately PHP23 billion worth of fertilizer aid has also been provided to 5.66 million farmers, boosting local production.

De Mesa explained that the all-time high yield was also driven by an increase in harvested areas and favorable weather conditions. The PSA data showed that palay harvested areas increased to more than 2.12 million hectares, higher than 2.065 million hectares for the same period in 2024.

He addressed claims that farmers are no longer planting, stating that the growing harvested area disproves such statements. He mentioned that farmers may have been encouraged by higher earnings despite increased production costs, as the average farmgate price of palay rose to PHP23.48 in 2024, up from PHP19.88 in 2023.

This rise in farmgate prices resulted in a higher gross return of PHP95,906 per hectare and a net return of PHP36,211 per hectare, compared to PHP82,914 and PHP26,423, respectively, in 2023, according to recent PSA data. This translates to a higher net profit-cost ratio of PHP0.61 for every kg. of palay sold, compared to PHP0.47 in 2023.

With the output for the first half of 2025, de Mesa expressed optimism that the Philippines may achieve its record-high target of 20.46 million MT annual palay production.