BAR, PSA updating rice production data

MANILA, Philippines — The Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR) and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) are conducting a five-month palay production survey project to update the country’s rice statistics.

The PSA, with funding support from BAR, is conducting a nationwide assessment on costs and returns of palay production from May to September.

The project aims to address inadequate and outdated rice statistics, as well as update rice statistics for the rice database to serve as a basis for policy-making.

Once completed, the project is expected to deliver the establishment of up-to-date production cost structures; benchmark and generate updated data sets on average use of material and labor inputs; generate other related socio-economic variables; and determine indicators of profitability.

Target beneficiaries of the project include policymakers and palay farmers.

Farmers can use the data on production costs and returns as basis for their planning and programming activities.

They can also use these data in selecting the most profitable set of crops to plant during a particular season.

Moreover, both government and non-government planners and policymakers can use this data in designing appropriate programs and projects to boost the growth and development of the palay industry.