About 5.4 million farmers, fishers and farm workers or nearly half of the target had been listed by the Department of Agriculture (DA) in its Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).
Those listed will get priority in availing of agriculture and fishery assistance in the form of cash or farm inputs like seeds and fertilizers and fuel subsidy vouchers and crop insurance.
“As of March 8, 2022, we have registered 5,463,735 farmers, fishers, and farm workers, exceeding our target amid the pandemic that restricted movement and physical contact,” said DA Secretary William Dar.
The DA targets to enroll in the database system all the estimated 12 million farmers, fishers, farm workers and other target agriculture-based beneficiaries nationwide.
DA said the RSBSA involves farmer and fisherfolk profiling, farm parcel georeferencing and the interventions monitoring system.
“Having an accurate and updated registry system is undoubtedly a critical ingredient when crafting policies to attain our vision of a food-secure and resilient Philippine agriculture,” Dar said. – Jed Macapagal
