DA to compile own statistics

THE Department of Agriculture (DA) wants to establish its own agricultural statistics, with Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol saying current indicators published by the government are “inaccurate” and “outdated.”

Asked if he intends to create a statistical system for the agency itself, Mr. Piñol said he has issued an order for a nationwide validation of agricultural data “starting from the ground” which translates to deploying DA officials to do field surveys, among other tasks.

“In fact, I have ordered a program where we will go down to the village level and even use drones to count trees,” he said, in a news conference in Quezon City on Tuesday.

Mr. Piñol said the department relies heavily on “hazy figures,” including those from the Philippine Statistics Authority ( PSA), which may disrupt “sound planning.”

The PSA provides a quarterly and annual growth performance report of farm output and of production and trade, among other aspects, of various agricultural commodities such as the staple grains of palay and corn.

Mr. Piñol, who had declined to provide growth targets in his first four months in office, finally gave one after the Nov. 15 release of farm output data for the third quarter. He projected flat output growth for 2016 though the rate may exceed the 0.11% posted in 2015.

However, this was revised upward in a Tuesday news conference. On Tuesday, he said farm sector output growth could be as high as 3.5% to 5% in 2016, citing stronger livestock production and a bumper harvest of grains in the last quarter.

In the first nine months farm output contracted 1.53%, pulled down mainly by a severe dry spell early this year.

Mr. Piñol estimates that fourth quarter growth of 7% to 8% is needed to achieve the 2016 projection, which has been disputed by economists.