PHILIPPINE STAR/ MICHAEL VARCAS

THE rice inventory rose 6.1% year on year to 2.23 million metric tons (MT) on July 1, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

PSA said in its rice and corn stocks report that the July rice inventory fell 11.8% from a month earlier.   

Rice held by households at the start of July fell 8.2% year on year to 985,550 MT while stocks held by commercial warehouses rose 28.9% to 1.04 million MT.   

The National Food Authority’s (NFA) rice holdings fell 7.5% year on year to 205,820 MT.   

Compared to a month earlier, the PSA said rice stocks held by households and commercial warehouses fell 13% and 11.2%, respectively. NFA holdings fell 8.6%.   

“Of this month’s total rice stocks, 44.1% were in the households, 46.7% were in the commercial warehouses/wholesalers/retailers, and 9.2% were in the NFA depositories,” the PSA said.   

The PSA estimated the corn inventory as of July 1 at 924,250 MT, up 24.6% year on year and down 3.9% from a month earlier.   

Corn held by households as of July 1 rose 28% year on year to 98,500 MT while commercial inventory rose 24.2% to 825,750 MT.   

Month on month, the PSA said household corn fell 29.2%, while commercial corn rose 0.3%.   

The NFA held no corn during the period.   

“The total corn stocks for the month comprised 10.7% from households and 89.3% from commercial warehouses/wholesalers/retailers,” the PSA said. — Revin Mikhael D. Ochave