Data from the NSCB regional office showed that the palay production in the third quarter of this year reached 221,552 MT compared to 167,105 MT for the same period last year.
The NSCB attributed the higher yield to the 27-percent expansion (12,246 hectares) of harvested areas.
It said that in the third quarter this year the harvest came from 56,157 hectares, compared to only 43,911 hectares for the same period last year.
It added the significant increase in production and in the area of production was due to sufficient rainfall in the region.
Zamboanga Peninsula covers the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Sur and the cities of Dapitan, Dipolog, Isabela, Pagadian and Zamboanga.[]
The NSCB said palay yield also increased from 3.8 MT per hectare during the third quarter of the previous year to 3.9 MT per hectare in the third quarter this year.[]
