Western Visayas palay output drops 46.9 percent in Q4 2025

Palay production in Western Visayas declined by 46.9 percent in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025, with total output estimated at 327,026 MT, down from 616,341 MT in the same quarter of 2024, the Philippine Statistics Authority’s (PSA) Regional Statistical Services Office VI said.

The PSA said the area harvested also fell by 36.8 percent to 119,202 hectares from 188,638 hectares a year earlier, reflecting reduced harvested land alongside lower output.

The special release covers the fourth quarter of 2025 and excludes Negros Occidental “consequent to Republic Act No. 12000,” also referred to in the document as the “Negros Island Act.”

The PSA said the figures are preliminary estimates intended to inform analysis for policymaking and projects on palay, and that the data were sourced from the Palay Production Survey under the PSA’s Crops Statistics Division and published through OpenSTAT.

In the Philippines, palay refers to unhusked rice harvested from farms, and quarterly production updates are commonly used by government and industry to gauge supply conditions and plan procurement, logistics, and farm support.

Rainfed vs irrigated palay

By ecosystem, Western Visayas’ rainfed palay output dropped by 60.8 percent to 157,064 metric tons (MT) from 400,669 MT in the fourth quarter of 2024, the PSA report said.

Irrigated palay output decreased by 21.2 percent to 169,963 MT from 215,672 MT in the same period last year, according to the PSA.

The harvested area for rainfed palay declined by 47.1 percent to 67,916 hectares, the PSA said, indicating fewer hectares were cut during the quarter compared with a year earlier.

The harvested area for irrigated palay fell by 14.8 percent to 51,286 hectares, the PSA reported, showing a more moderate contraction than rainfed farms.

In the PSA’s definitions, “irrigated” areas have irrigation facilities supplying water through artificial means such as gravity or pumps, while “rainfed” areas depend on rainfall and dikes that retain water.

Iloilo leads regional yield…

Among provinces, Iloilo accounted for 51.3 percent of Western Visayas’ total palay production in the fourth quarter of 2025, the PSA said.

Antique followed with a 17.8 percent share of regional palay production, the report said.

Capiz posted a 17.3 percent share, according to the PSA’s provincial distribution.

Aklan contributed 7.2 percent of palay production, the PSA said.

Guimaras accounted for 6.4 percent of regional palay production, the PSA report said.

…But drives most of the regional drop in harvested area

Of the 36.8 percent reduction in regional palay area harvested, Iloilo contributed the biggest decline at 25.2 percentage points, the PSA said.

The PSA said Iloilo recorded 65,137 hectares harvested in the fourth quarter of 2025, down from 112,612 hectares in the same quarter of 2024.

Capiz accounted for a negative 7.8 percentage-point contribution to the regional decline in harvested area, the PSA reported.

Aklan and Guimaras each posted negative 1.5 percentage points, the PSA said.

Antique accounted for a negative 0.9 percentage points, according to the PSA.

The PSA said Iloilo made up 54.6 percent of the 119,202 hectares harvested in Western Visayas during the quarter.

Antique and Capiz followed with 15.9 percent and 14.7 percent shares of harvested area, respectively, while the remaining provinces accounted for less than 9 percent each, the PSA report said.

Provincial breakdown

Regionwide, Western Visayas recorded 188,638 hectares harvested in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 119,202 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -36.8 percent change, with a 100.0 percent share of the regional total and a -36.8 percentage-point contribution by definition, the PSA table showed.

Aklan recorded 12,652 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 9,814 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -22.4 percent change, with an 8.2 percent share and a -1.5 percentage-point contribution, the PSA said.

Antique recorded 20,577 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 18,961 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -7.9 percent change, with a 15.9 percent share and a -0.9 percentage-point contribution, according to the PSA.

Capiz recorded 32,152 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 17,492 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -45.6 percent change, with a 14.7 percent share and a -7.8 percentage-point contribution, the PSA table showed.

Guimaras recorded 10,645 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 7,798 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -26.7 percent change, with a 6.6 percent share and a -1.5 percentage-point contribution, according to the PSA.

Iloilo recorded 112,612 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 65,137 hectares in the fourth quarter of 2025, a -42.2 percent change, with a 54.6 percent share and a -25.2 percentage-point contribution, the PSA said.

The PSA said “production” refers to the quantity produced and actually harvested during the reference period, while “area harvested” refers to the total area harvested to palay during the reference quarter and may be less than or equal to the total area planted.