President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. announced that the country achieved a record-high rice production in 2023, surpassing the figures recorded in 2022. Thanks to the hard work and sacrifices of farmers.
“Through our collective efforts, we achieved a record harvest in 2023, reaching over 20 million metric tons of palay,” President Marcos said in his speech during the ceremonial palay harvesting and distribution of various assistance in Pampanga.
Despite the challenges in the agricultural sector, President Marcos highlighted that rice production in 2023 marked a significant increase of 300,000 metric tons, a 1.5 percent rise from the 19.76 million MT of palay produced in 2022.
This improvement was attributed to a 0.23 percent increase in the harvested area and a 1.30 percent enhancement in yield.
The surge in rice production contributed to an overall boost in the value of production in the agriculture and fisheries sectors, reaching P1.763 trillion in 2023, surpassing the P1.757 trillion level in 2022.
However, amid the record-setting rice production, the Philippines is still bracing for the possible impact of the El Niño, which is expected to last until the second quarter of 2024.
In 2023, the administration set price caps on rice husks to control the price hike due to alleged hoarding and price manipulators in the market.
