MANILA, PHILIPPINES —The Philippines rice and corn production were challenged by recent typhoons but not enough for strong production in the first quarter of 2020-21, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network (GAIN) report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA estimates the Philippines corn production to total 8.2 million tonnes for the 2020-21 marketing year. Corn imports are anticipated to jump 100,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes for the 2020-21 marketing year.

The USDA estimates milled rice production to jump 2.5%, to 12 million tonnes. The second quarter saw three typhoons make landfall damaging about 265,000 tonnes of rice during the traditional largest rice producing area.

The Philippines rice imports are forecast to slip to 2.3 million tonnes for the 2020-21 marketing year.

The COVID-19 pandemic and African swine fever (ASF) has decreased the Philippines demand for feed.

The USDA expects the country’s wheat imports to total 6.8 million tonnes. New policies limiting issuance of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Import Clearance also slows imports. Importers have reported unpredictability in the issuance of import clearances during the last three months, the USDA said.