The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is calling on household respondents to support the conduct of the 2022 Census of Agriculture and Fisheries (CAF) covering 1,153,842 households in Western Visayas from Sept. 4 to Oct. 25, 2023, results of which can impact on food supply and food sufficiency.
PSA chief statistical specialist and office in charge Regional Director for the Regional Statistical Services Office in Western Visayas Nelida Amolar said the survey is a large-scale government undertaking to collect and compile 'basic information on the agricultural and fishery sectors in the country'.
'The data to be collected in this census will serve as important bases of policies, plans, and programs for the country's socio-economic development,' she said during the press launch on Friday.
Jerry Dolutan, officer-in-charge for the Iloilo Provincial Statistical Office, said Iloilo province is one of the three provinces in the country chosen for the 100 percent coverage, together with Pangasinan and Bukidnon for having the top volume on agriculture and fishery production.
'Iloilo is one of our top producing provinces, and we are complete because we have agriculture, the crops, the livestock. We have also farms and fishing operations,' he said.
In the case of other provinces, there will be samples of at least two barangays in every municipality.
Of the total respondents in the region, Iloilo province, including Iloilo City, will have 526,771 households; Aklan has 62,964; Antique, 75,282; Capiz, 100,888; Guimaras, 25,605; and Negros Occidental, 356,332.
The target respondents are operators of crops, livestock, poultry, insects/worm culturing, aquaculture, and/or fishing activity during the period Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022, while at the barangay level will be the punong barangay or any incumbent barangay official.
The PSA has tapped 2,218 personnel, including 1,668 enumerators who will do the house-to-house census, while others will serve as census area supervisors, assistant area supervisors and team supervisors.
Amolar said the census is important, especially since those at the bottom 30 poverty incidence are households from the agri-fishery sector.
She said interventions through the Department of Agriculture and local government units to improve poverty incidence can be made using the data generated from the census.
Also joining the press launch on Friday was Maricel Bechayda, the chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government Monitoring and Evaluation Division in Western Visayas.
Source: Philippines News Agency
