ILOILO CITY (PIA) -- Iloilo ranked first among the provinces in Western Visayas in terms of rice production for the first quarter of 2021.

In a media release from the Department of Agriculture (DA)-6, Iloilo topped the national chart in unhusked rice production, which summed up to 355,040 metric tons.

The province of Iloilo gained a 6.46 percent increase in production, despite a reduction in the area harvested.

Elmer C. Cabusas, DA regional rice program focal person, said only the provinces of Iloilo and Antique posted positive growth in the production and yield performance in the first quarter.

"The agricultural inputs, including quality seeds and fertilizers that were provided to the farmers, had influenced the overall palay production performance in the region in the first quarter,” he said.

Cabusas said the production increase is also due to the expansion of rice areas, particularly in Antique where an additional 8, 363 hectares of agricultural areas were planted to palay.

“Another helpful factor is the good climatic condition,” he said.

Meanwhile, data from DA-6 showed that the volume of palay produced from the 196,570 hectares of area harvested in Western Visayas during the first three months of 2021 went up by 4.23 percent versus the production recorded in the same period last year. (JSC/LTP/PIA-Iloilo/Thumbnail Photo courtesy of DA Western Visayas)