PRODUCTION

The seasonally adjusted palay production for the fourth quarter of 2020 was 4,860 thousand metric tons, slightly lower by -4.3 percent from the previous quarter's output of 5,078 thousand  metric tons.  (Table  1)

Likewise, the seasonally adjusted production dropped by -1.3  percent compared with the previous year's level of 4,922 thousand metric tons. (Figure 1  and Table  1)

PRICES

For the quarter, the seasonally adjusted farmgate price for palay surged to PhP 18.56 per kilogram or by 6.4 percent from the third quarter's level. Likewise, it was higher by 15.3 percent than the previous year's farmgate price of PhP  16.10 per kilogram.  (Figure 2 and Table 1)

The  wholesale  price  of  rice  for  this  quarter displayed an increase  of 0.2 percent compared with the PhP 38.05 per kilogram quotation in  the previous quarter and PhP 38.04 per kilogram in the same period a year ago. (Figure 2 and Table 2)

The seasonally adjusted retail price of rice went down to PhP 41.29 per kilogram or by -1.7  percent from the previous quarter's price level of PhP  41.99 per kilogram. Year-on year, this was down by -0.8 percent from the PhP 41.64 per kilogram  in the same period a year ago.  (Figure 4 and Table 2)

DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar Genera