The country's rice production grew by 5.96 percent to 16.24 million metric tons in 2007, from only 15.33 million metric tons in 2006 under the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani Rice Program, figures of the Department of Agriculture show.

In terms of gross value, the 2007 production also increased to 12.16 percent to P182.052 billion.

Total effective rice area for the period totaled 4.27 million hectares.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap said in a press release that the increase in production also raised farmers' income and lowered production cost per kilogram.

He said the DA's timely and decisive intervention measures to boost yields and contain the adverse impact of the climate change during the second and third quarters helped drive the growth of the rice sector.

From Aug. 1 to Sept. 15 last year, the quick turn-around planting program managed to raise palay harvests by 350,000 MTs.

Final report of the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics for 2007 shows the gross value of the crop subsector, including palay and corn, rose to 11.03 percent last year to P510.3 billion.

Frisco Malabanan, coordinator of GMA Rice Program National Coordinator, said in the press release that the growth can be attributed primarily to the ongoing restoration of irrigation systems, provision of post-harvest drying facilities, and usage of high quality genetic materials or further expansion of the total area planted to hybrid and inbred rice certified seeds.

Inbred certified seeds planted at subsidized cost in the rainfed-lowland areas also contributed to significant increase in production during the second semester, he said.*

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