NSO-7 going after agri sector figures

CEBU, Philippines -  The National Statistics Office-7 will soon be listing the members of the agricultural sector for the Registry System for Basic Sector in Agriculture.

During yesterday’s Association of Government Information Officers-7 forum NSO-7 officer-in-charge Firmo Diputado said the Aquino administration wants to get the complete data and figures of the country’s agricultural sector.

“The President wants to know the names of those in the agri sector as well as what type of crops they are cultivating, among others,” Diputado said.

The RSBSA is an undertaking of complete count of all farm operators.

It will gather data on structures and characteristics of farms such as size; tenure of holdings; land use and area planted to crops; production and number of livestock and poultry; and distribution and number of households engaged in farming, fishing, and related activities.

 This basic information are essential in drawing up programs and policies for the agricultural and fishery sectors of the economy, specifically toward improving the lot of small farm workers and, ultimately, the rural poor.

RSBSA is a joint registration activity of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Interior and Local Government, the Department of Agriculture, Department of Agrarian Reform, NSO and the local government units.

According to the Philippine Information Agency, the Philippines, being an agricultural country, needs a comprehensive and systematic information system that caters to the various data and information needs of economic development planners, policymakers, and project implementers.

To address this need, the Cabinet Cluster on Good Governance and Anti-Corruption chaired by President Benigno Aquino III has included the database or registry of farmers in its list of key programs under the Digitization and Information Technology in Government Sub-cluster.

The RSBSA is an electronic compilation of basic information on farmers, farm laborers and fishermen, the target beneficiaries of agriculture-related programs and services.

The establishment of the RSBSA database envisions manageable access to baseline agricultural information by government stakeholders.

Through this system, government planners and policymakers could effectively formulate significant policies and programs for agricultural development.

The registration activity for the first batch was already completed in January 2012, covering 20 provinces nationwide.

The next registration activity is from October to November 2012, covering the rest of the provinces and their cities/municipalities, including Cebu.

Diputado said that barangay secretaries shall be the one to conduct interviews in their respective area of responsibility. –(FREEMAN)