PSA allots ₧80.9 million to fund survey on rice and corn production
THE Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will be allocating P80.9 million to conduct agriculture surveys on rice and corn production.
The list of surveys to be conducted includes the long overdue Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Monitoring and Evaluation Survey.
Under Republic Act 11203 or the Rice Trade Liberalization Law, an RCEF review must be conducted annually and the results made available publicly.
“To provide a solid empirical basis in determining the impact of the Rice Fund, the DA [Department of Agriculture] shall set up a ‘Rice Fund Impact Monitoring System’ within one year after the issuance of this IRR [Implementing Rules and Regulations],” the IRR of the Rice Trade Liberalization Law stated.
The survey will interview a total of 5,330 RCEF farmer-beneficiaries from 41 RCEF provinces and 1,616 rice farmers from 18 NON-RCEF provinces between June and November 2022.
The survey will track and evaluate the program’s progress and developments over the course of its threeyear implementation.
This survey specifically aims to determine the adoption rate of certified inbred seeds among rice farmers and generate basic information on the actual utilization of seeds distributed to farmer-beneficiaries.
The PSA, through the survey, aims to estimate actual area planted, usage of seeds distributed, costs, and yields of farmer-beneficiaries and incorporate sex disaggregated analysis in applicable indicators.
The survey will also assess farmers’ access to information during RCEF seed program implementation; determine convergence of RCEF components among farmer-beneficiaries; and provide recommendations to improve the implementation of the program.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the PSA survey funds to be allocated would reach P51.4 million. It will be dedicated to the conduct of the 2022 Palay Production Survey (PPS) worth P29.2 million and Corn Production Survey (CPS) worth P22.2 million.
PSA said the 2022 PPS is a quarterly survey aimed to generate estimates on palay production and area harvested while the 2022 CPS is a quarterly survey that aims to generate estimates on corn production and area harvested in the country.
The PPS will cover a total of 23,800 farming households in the First Quarter; 21,640 households in the Second Quarter; 23,760 households in the Third Quarter; and 25,540 households in the Fourth Quarter.
The CPS survey will cover 20,160 corn farming households in the First Quarter; 20,620 households in the Second Quarter; 23,400 households in the Third Quarter; and 22,260 households in the Fourth Quarter.
“Both surveys will be undertaken during the first ten [10] days of April, July, October, and December 2022. Results of the PPS and CPS are scheduled to be released 40 days after the reference quarter as prescribed in the System of Designated Statistics,” the PSA said.
Meanwhile, the PSA will also conduct the Monthly Palay and Corn Situation Reporting System (MPCSRS), which is estimated to cost P12.5 million.
The survey will interview a total of 74,648 farming households; of which 43,757 respondents are palay farming households while 30,891 respondents are corn-farming households.
The survey will be undertaken during the first five days of every survey month, and results are scheduled to be released on the 15th day after the survey month.
The survey will monitor the system of growing conditions and actual plantings of palay and corn. The survey also aims to provide the forecasts for the current quarter based on the current standing crop, and for the next quarter based on planting intentions, and to provide monthly updates on the area and production of palay and corn by stages of growth (i.e., vegetative, reproductive, and maturing).
Updates on production and harvest area estimates of palay and corn are generated from the MPCSRS, which is, conducted monthly in-between the Palay and Corn Production Survey rounds done by PSA.