The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) granted clearance for the conduct of the Evaluation of the Rice Crop Manager (RCM) Project on 12 September 2019. The survey is a project of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which will be conducted by The All-Asian Centre for Enterprise Development, Inc. (ASCEND) Research.

The main objective of the survey is to assess the effectiveness of RCM from 2014 to 2018. Specifically, it aims to:

• monitor the extent by which the project is being implemented as designed;
• check whether the project is accessible and acceptable to its target group; and
• measure the degree to which the project has an effect on the target group.

The data items to be collected in the survey include the following:

• farmer’s profile
• production-related data (e.g. fertilizer and pesticide use, seed variety utilization, cost and returns)
• perception of farmers about RCM tool

The RCM is a project launched in 2013 by the DA together with International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) which aims to provide personalized advice to farmers on crop and location-specific nutrient management for increased yield and income. It is a web-based decision-support tool systematically enhanced for rice farming in the Philippines.

A total budget of Php 4.5 million will be utilized for personal services, maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) such as travelling expenses, supplies and printing of materials and capital outlay.

Results of the survey are expected to be released on the 4th week of November 2019.

The survey was reviewed and cleared for conduct under the Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS), a mechanism being implemented by the PSA by virtue of Rule 28 of Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 10625 to:

• ensure sound design for data collection;
• minimize the burden placed upon respondents;
• effect economy in statistical data collection;
• eliminate unnecessary duplication of statistical data collection efforts; and
• achieve better coordination of government statistical activities.

In line with this, the PSA enjoins the public to support the said survey. Meanwhile, the PSA would like to inform the general public that the PSA is only mandated to review and clear the survey materials through the SSRCS. In the event that the survey proponent hires a third-party entity to undertake the survey on their behalf, kindly note that the PSA does not have control over the agreement between the survey proponent and the third-party entity.

For further information on SSRCS, please contact the Statistical Standards Division (SSD) of the Standards Service (SS) with telephone numbers
(02) 376-1928 and (02) 376-1931, and email address: ssd.staff@psa.gov.ph or ssdss.staff@gmail.com.

CLAIRE DENNIS S. MAPA, Ph.D.
Undersecretary
National Statistician and Civil Registrar General
 

See more at the Statistical Survey Review and Clearance System (SSRCS) landing page.