Digitalized farm registry, food balance sheet eyed

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.  (file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is eyeing the digitalization of a farmer registry, as well as a digital food balance sheet (FBS), according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) on Thursday.

The plan surfaced when Marcos Jr. sat down with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) on Tuesday, according to the PCO’s statement.

“Well, if we can [get] digitalization in place as quickly as possible…everyone needs it. So that’s what you need to do is you get the system in place, specific for the agriculture. Hopefully, it will become part eventually of the government system,” Marcos said in the meeting.

According to PSAC, the FBS would reflect real-time data. The council added that this could “increase the income of small-holder farmers and result in additional government budget savings.”

In order to attain the country’s target for food security, fixing storage, and updating logistics would need to accompany the FBS.

The country already has an FBS, which is posted on the Philippine Statistics Authority’s  (PSA) website.

“This report presents a comprehensive picture of the country’s food supply during a specified reference period. It gives an indication of the adequacy of food supply relative to the nutritional requirement of the population. It is a useful tool in designing, planning and assessment of policies and programs related to food security and nutrition,” said the PSA.

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