DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/24 April) – Per capita rice consumption in Davao Region decreased by 10.77 percent while that for corn increased by 47.43 percent based on the 2015-2016 Survey on Food and Demand of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The survey dated April 10 showed the annual per capita consumption of rice decreased from 105.8 kilos in 2012 to 94.4 kilos in 2015-2016.
Of the region’s provinces, Compostela Valley posted the highest drop recording an annual per capita consumption of 60.542 kl in 2015-2016, or at least 33.57 percent lower compared to 91.135 kl in 2012.
Davao del Sur posted the second highest drop at 24.53 percent, decreasing to 88 kl in 2015-2016 from 116.702 kl; 23.75-percent drop in Davao Oriental from 103.945 kl to 79.254 kl; 6-percent drop in Davao del Norte from 137.93 kl to 129.574 kl. No data was provided for Davao City.
PSA reported that households in the urban barangays had higher consumption level at 119.47 kl than those in the rural barangays with 79 kgs.
But it’s a different case for Davao del Norte where rural dwellers had a slightly bigger consumption at 129.856 kl than those in the urban barangays with 129.33 kl.
PSA, however, found that the annual per capita consumption of corn grew from 27.593 kl in 2012 to 40.679 kl in 2015-2016, an increase of 47.43 percent.
Davao del Sur’s per capita consumption of corn grew by 2,005 percent from 4.183 kl in 2012 to 88.074 kl in 2015-2016; 131.9-percent increase in Compostela Valley from 40.675 kl to 94.362 kl; 66.6-percent increase in Davao Oriental from 47.562 kl to 79.254 kl.
Only Davao del Norte posted a decrease (18.24 percent) in the consumption of corn, from 12.815 kl to 19.477 kl.
PSA said the annual per capita consumption of corn was bigger in rural areas at 57.184 kl than the 13 kl in rural areas.
“High preference for corn was most evident in the rural barangays of Comval where corn consumption reached 111 kl per person in a year,” it said. (Antonio L. Colina IV/MindaNews)