AVERAGE INCOME reported by corn farmers, as measured in an indicator called net returns, fell 15.5% to P16,598 per hectare in 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
In a report, the PSA said the average cost of corn production rose 2.5% to P24,740 per hectare in 2019.
Corn farmers earned P0.67 for every peso invested in corn production, against P0.81 in 2018.
The PSA said the average farmgate price of corn fell 7.8% to P13.04 in 2019, while the yield per hectare rose 2.4% to 3,170 kilograms per hectare.
The cost of corn production per kilogram in 2019 was flat at P7.80.
Cagayan Valley was the highest-cost region for corn production at P51,575 per hectare, followed by Western Visayas at P29,964.
Zamboanga Peninsula was the lowest-cost producer at P16,204 per hectare.
The top region for net returns was MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) at P34,075 per hectare, followed by Northern Mindanao at P23,966 per hectare.
Mimaropa corn farmers also recorded the highest average return for every peso of investment in corn production at P1.77. It was the lowest-cost producer on a per-kilogram basis at P5.27.
The PSA said the production cost for white corn rose 2.6% to P16,189 per hectare.
The net return for white corn farmers fell 27.2% to P8,162 per hectare.
The average per-kilogram production cost of white corn rose 1.5% to P8.61 while the yield per hectare increased 1.1% to 1,880 kilograms.
The farmgate price of white corn in 2019 fell 10.8% to P12.95 per kilogram.
Cagayan Valley posted the highest average production cost for white corn at P32,998 per hectare, followed by MIMAROPA at P23,503.
Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) reported the lowest average production costs of P8,693 per hectare and the highest net returns of P14,534.
Davao Region farmers posted net losses of P5,810 per hectare, followed by Central Visayas with losses of P4,139 per hectare.
Calabarzon reported the highest average farmgate price for white corn at P13.77 per kilogram while Caraga had the lowest at P12.21.
Meanwhile, the average production cost of yellow corn in 2019 rose 2.5% to P44,213 per hectare.
Net returns for yellow corn fell 30.8% to P10,340 per hectare while the production cost per kilogram rose 1.7% to P10.59.
Average yield per hectare rose 0.7% to 4,174 kilograms while the farmgate price fell 6.7% to P13.07 per kilogram.
Central Luzon was the highest-cost region at P57,339 per hectare, while MIMAROPA was the lowest-cost production area at P18,030.
The top net returns for yellow corn were recorded in Mimaropa at P42,645 per hectare, followed by Ilocos Region at P34,141 per hectare.
Mimaropa posted the highest farmgate price of yellow corn at P14.89 per kilogram. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave
