PALAY PRODUCTION. Central Luzon, the country's rice granary, remains the top producer of palay in the country in the first quarter of 2022. The region produced 772,855 metric tons of palay, contributing 17 percent to the country's output. (File photo courtesy of DA-3) CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga - Central Luzon, the country's rice granary, remained the country's top producer of palay in the first quarter of this year. Based on the latest data of the Philippine Statistics Authority-Regional Statistical Services Office-Central Luzon (PSA-RSSO III), the region produced 772,855 metric tons of palay, contributing 17 percent to the country's output. The production volume is higher compared to the 699,044 metric tons during the same period last year. The double-digit increases in the volume of palay production in the provinces of Aurora, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Pampanga contributed to the increase in the region's overall palay production by 10.6 percent. On the ot