Rice field (Solomon Dalung Foundation image) Malacañang welcomed the latest Rice and Corn Outlook Report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that showed an increased production of rice and corn during the first quarter of 2018.

Based on the report, palay production reached 4.62 million metric tons (MT) for the first quarter, surpassing by 4.61 percent the January-March 2017 output of 4.42 million MT.

Likewise, the January-March 2018 corn output increased by 4.66 percent to 2.48 million MT from 2.37 million MT produced in the same period of last year.

“According to the PSA, the increase in palay and corn production were largely attributed to the improved harvest areas due to the early onset of rainfall, constant use of high yielding varieties of seeds, and technical and financial assistance from the government and private sectors,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing in Davao City on Tuesday.

The Duterte administration also plans to expand the coffee production areas to about 1,000 hectares in the Davao Region, one of the top producers of coffee in the country with a total area of 2,300 hectares, Roque said.