PIA Press Release
Sunday, January 29, 2012

DA says sugarcane 'outperforms' other crops in 2011

MANILA, Jan. 29 (PIA) -- The Department of Agriculture (DA) said that sugarcane outperformed other Philippine crops in 2011, registering four successive quarters of production increases highlighted by triple-digit growth rates during the April-June and July-September periods.

Data released by the DA showed the country’s 2011 sugarcane production volume totaled nearly 28.40 million metric tons, which is 58.27 percent higher than the 17.93 million MTs this crop posted in 2010.

In 2010, nationwide sugarcane production dipped 21.82 percent below its 2009 level of 22.93 million metric tons.

The data further show value of sugarcane production at constant prices hit P22.42 billion in 2011, exceeding the P14.16 billion such crop posted in 2010.

DA also reported the country’s sugarcane production volume during 2011′s first and fourth quarters reached 12.75 million metric tons and 8.14 million metric tons, respectively.

Such outputs were the highest in the crops sub-sector during both reference periods.

Nationwide sugarcane production in 2011′s first and fourth quarters also correspondingly surpassed by 26.73 percent and 24.26 percent the country’s 10.06 million metric tons and 6.55 million metric tons output for this crop throughout the same periods in 2010, DA data likewise show.

For 2011′s second and third quarters, DA reported the Philippine sugarcane production reached 6.90 million metric tons and 594,000 metric tons.

Such volumes were 511 percent and 208.46 percent more than the 1.12 million metric tons and 192,000 metric tons of sugarcane produced during the same reference quarters in 2010.

The data show none in the crops sub-sector except sugarcane registered triple-digit production growth rates during last year’s second and third quarters. (DA/RJB/JCP/PIA-NCR)