MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Tuesday said it is updating its electronic database of farmers and fisherfolk who are estimated to be around 10 million.
In a news release, DA Undersecretary for Operations Roger Navarro said the agency had an initial list of 1.4 million of these stakeholders in the Registry System for the Basic Sectors in Agriculture before the update started.
‘We were supposed to finish this update last year but we have so many islands to cover,’ Navarro said.
He added the DA will mobilize some 16,000 staff nationwide to fast-track the delayed collection, update and validation of the personal and farm data of stakeholders – farmers, farmworkers, fisherfolk and agri-youth.
It will also request assistance from local government units in the data collection and verification.
The registration and update on records and profiles would determine whether the estimate on the population of the stakeholders is correct and identify individuals truly deserve assistance from the agency.
Navarro said farmworkers should not be included in the DA’s list of beneficiaries as they do not own the farm or crops.
‘Since farmworkers are only seasonally employed in farms, they should be in the list of other government agencies like the Department of Social Welfare and Development for proper handling,’ he said.
‘We have to make a distinction between a farmer and a farmworker. This will allow us to cleanse the list for better use of our resources,’ he added.
In 2022, the DA started the improvement of its management information system to enhance monitoring of projects and interventions, and to facilitate real-time recording of agri-fishery information.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu-Laurel Jr. has issued two memoranda that outline the latest parameters for the registry update.
Tiu-Laurel endorsed the digitalization project to improve efficiency in DA’s operations, project implementation and monitoring.
He is also considering the establishment of an agricultural statistics office to enhance DA’s
ability to manage demand and production of food, maximizing returns to farmers, and minimizing importation.
Source: Philippines News Agency