Page 108 - Special Topic Session (STS) - Volume 1

STS407 Minerva Eloisa P. E. et al.
5
Continuous collaboration with regulatory agencies through forging of
Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs) and bilateral meetings increased the
use of administrative-based data as supplement and/or alternative sources of
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data on agriculture and fishery.

3. Discussion and Conclusion
The recent PSS organizational structure, with one statistical office
mandated to produce most data on agriculture and fishery statistics, is an
advantage towards the fulfilment of an integrated agricultural statistical
system. Financial, human, and material resources, as well as operational
procedures and concepts, would be more efficiently managed. Having a PSA
budget with an AgriStat component is significant for the production of primary
statistics in agriculture since there is no further competing claims from other
‘non-statistical’ programmes upon budget release by the Department of
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Budget and Management. The continuously increasing demand to deliver
more timely, comparable and relevant agriculture statistics, however, still
poses risks on fund sources for the redesign and further innovation efforts for
agricultural and fisheries census and surveys, including acquisition of required
information technology infrastructure and human resource complement.
Moreover, while management of PSS is better in the new structure,
generation of agriculture and fisheries statistics are challenged by the
following factors:
 Increasing demand to deliver more timely, granular and relevant
agriculture statistics
 ‘Exodus’ of some trained and experienced senior statisticians from
Major Statistical Agencies
 Availability of new technology
 Budget approval process
 Communicating agriculture statistics to policymakers and stakeholders
for better appreciation and utilization
Despite the challenges, efforts towards integration of agriculture statistical
systems continues to progress. Geo-referencing to master frame is given the
utmost importance which will enable linking of census of population with CAF

5 Regulatory agencies include the National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS), Bureau of Animal
Industry (BAI), National Dairy Authority (NDA), Philippine Carabao Center (PCC), Philippine
Fisheries Development Authority (PFDA), Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR),
National Food Authority (NFA), Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), Sugar Regulatory
Administration (SRA), National Tobacco Administration (NTA), Philippine Fiber Development
Authority (PhilFiDA), Local Government Units (LGUs)
6 Philippine Statistical Development Program 2018-2023
7 Africa, T.P. (2015). Agriculture and Rural Statistics in the Philippine Statistical System
presented at the Workshop on Strategic Planning for Agricultural and Rural Statistics,
Bangkok, Thailand, 17-19 March 2015.

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