The National Sectoral Committee (NSC) on Corn convened for an online meeting on March 10, 2025, to discuss the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) and the FY 2026 Plan and Budget Proposal (PBP) of the National Corn Program (NCP).
For FY 2025, the NCP is aiming to achieve a 6-metric ton (MT) average yield for yellow corn and 3 MT for white corn. Regions I and III have already exceeded these targets, with their current average yield reaching 6 MT per hectare. Key programs for the year will focus on production support services, including providing seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and irrigation services, as well as research and development to improve yields.
The main agenda of the meeting involved the proposed budget for FY 2026, which shows a significant 301.15% increase compared to FY 2025. The largest portion of the increase is allocated to production support services, signaling the NCP’s commitment to increasing domestic production of feed crops and reducing reliance on imported corn and feed wheat. Milo delos Reyes, Director of the NCP, emphasized that the additional funds would be used to support farmers through the provision of essential resources like seeds and fertilizers. He further explained that the current Php5-billion budget only supports 160,000 hectares, underscoring the need for an expanded investment in the country’s corn production.
In addition to corn, the FY 2026 budget proposal will also support the cultivation of other crops, including soybeans, cassava, and sorghum. Dir. delos Reyes also shared that the Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary is envisioning a livelihood program, aimed at boosting the income of corn and cassava farmers by introducing alternative sources of income through animal raising and crop diversification. The alternative livelihood program can be done through coordination with other banner programs and DA agencies (e.g. High Value Crops Development Program, National Livestock Program, National Dairy Authority, etc.).
The meeting also provided a recap of the NCP’s FY 2024 performance. The total volume of corn production reached 8.13 million metric tons (MT), with an average yield of 3.32 MT per hectare. Of that, yellow corn production accounted for 6.2 million MT, with an average yield of 4.21 MT per hectare, while white corn production totaled 1.9 million MT, with an average yield of 1.96 MT per hectare.
At the end of the meeting, the NSC on Corn agreed to recommend to the DA the approval of the NCP’s FY 2026 PBP, with provisions for adjustments based on feedback from the private sector. | Joy Camille Luza
