Western Visayas Palay Falls, Corn and Poultry Edge Up

By Francis Allan L. Angelo

With fields shrinking and rainfall patterns shifting, Western Visayas rice farmers saw a sharp decline in harvests in early 2025, while corn and livestock sectors scrambled to hold ground amid climate and market pressures, based on the latest Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data.

Western Visayas’ palay (unmilled rice) output dropped by 5.1 percent in the first quarter of 2025, even as corn production and poultry inventories recorded modest gains, pointing to an uneven regional response to weather shifts, consumer demand, and recovery efforts.

Rice production fell, corn rose, and livestock adjusted — the first quarter of 2025 revealed the diverging fortunes of Western Visayas’ agriculture sector, spotlighting Iloilo’s production dominance and Capiz’s shifting contributions.

PALAY PRODUCTION, AREA DOWN

Total palay production reached 549,512 metric tons (MT) in Q1 2025, down from 579,109 MT in the same quarter of 2024.

Harvested area also decreased by 8.5 percent, from 185,355 hectares (ha) to 169,588 ha.

Irrigated palay production rose by 3.8 percent to 258,575 MT, with a 2.0 percent increase in harvested area to 74,503 ha.

In contrast, rainfed palay output declined 11.8 percent to 290,937 MT, and the area shrank by 15.4 percent to 95,085 ha.

Iloilo produced the most palay, accounting for 56.2 percent of the region’s total or roughly 308,727 MT. Capiz followed with 22.1 percent, Antique with 14.4 percent, Aklan with 5.4 percent, and Guimaras with 1.8 percent.

Iloilo also posted the biggest decrease in harvested area — down 14.9 percent, or 8.8 percentage points of the regional decline — from 109,599 ha to 93,229 ha.

Capiz recorded a 10.8 percent drop, while Antique, Aklan, and Guimaras posted gains of 27.1, 1.3, and 5.4 percent, respectively.

In total area harvested, Iloilo remained the leader with 55.0 percent, followed by Capiz (22.5%), Antique (13.4%), Aklan (6.6%), and Guimaras (2.6%).

CORN OUTPUT UP

Corn production grew by 2.5 percent to 76,286 MT from 74,459 MT in Q1 2024. This increase came despite a 3.9 percent drop in total harvested area, from 16,388 ha to 15,752 ha.

White corn, mostly for human consumption, jumped 23.0 percent to 2,064 MT. Its harvested area increased by 8.7 percent.

Yellow corn, primarily used for animal feed, rose 2.0 percent to 74,222 MT, although the harvested area declined by 4.5 percent.

Iloilo accounted for 63.0 percent of corn output, or 45,978 MT, followed by Capiz with 33.8 percent. Antique, Aklan, and Guimaras shared 2.6, 0.4, and 0.3 percent, respectively.

Capiz posted the highest reduction in harvested corn area — down 9.0 percent to 5,298 ha. Iloilo’s area dropped slightly by 1.2 percent to 9,776 ha, while Aklan saw a sharp 19.3 percent decline. Antique and Guimaras recorded gains of 0.9 and 31.6 percent, respectively.

Iloilo maintained the largest share in corn area at 62.1 percent, followed by Capiz with 33.6 percent.

LIVESTOCK SECTOR MIXED

Livestock production presented a mixed picture. Cattle output dropped 11.6 percent to 3,226 MT, while hog production dipped 1.2 percent to 13,769 MT. Carabao and goat production rose by 4.2 and 1.2 percent, respectively.

Cattle slaughter declined 1.1 percent to 11,262 heads, and hog slaughter fell by 17.5 percent to 83,675 heads. Carabao slaughter increased 2.9 percent, and goats rose by a significant 26.4 percent.

Iloilo led regional livestock inventory as of April 1, 2025:

• Carabao: 60,210 heads or 45.0 percent of the 133,655 total.
• Cattle: 48,327 heads or 32.4 percent of 148,950 total. (Note: PSA chart shows Antique with 35.1 percent, or approximately 52,295 heads, possibly indicating a reporting inconsistency.)
• Swine: 86,182 heads or 33.1 percent of 260,175 total.
• Goats: 72,623 heads or 47.0 percent of 154,640 total.

Capiz and Antique ranked next across various livestock categories, with Antique holding 35.1 percent of cattle and 31.4 percent of hogs.

POULTRY: EGGS UP, MEAT MIXED

Duck production surged by 20.2 percent to 640 MT, while chicken egg output climbed 10.5 percent to 8,234 MT. Duck egg production declined 5.5 percent to 572 MT. Chicken meat production fell 2.2 percent to 24,127 MT.

The number of chickens dressed in poultry plants rose to 9,602,995 birds, up 0.8 percent from the previous year.

As of April 1, chicken inventory totaled 12,930,279 birds. Iloilo dominated with 54.9 percent, followed by Capiz with 18.1 percent.

By chicken type:

• Broiler: Iloilo (52.1%), Aklan (26.6%), Capiz (21.1%)
• Layer: Iloilo (42.0%), Capiz (31.4%), Antique (12.9%)
• Native/Improved: Iloilo (58.4%), Capiz (15.0%), Aklan (11.2%)
• Gamefowl: Antique (41.0%), Capiz (24.9%), Iloilo (22.2%)

Duck inventory reached 690,040 birds, with Iloilo holding 45.4 percent and Capiz 24.5 percent.