The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Oriental Mindoro Provincial Office is set to conduct a rice and corn stocks survey in a bid to assess the grain inventories across the province.

PSA Chief Statistical Specialist Efren C. Armonia said that the May 2023 round of the monthly Enhanced Rice and Corn Stocks Survey: Household (RCSS:H) is set to be conducted in the first week of May.

Armonia said the collected data from sample households, together with stocks in the commercial and government sectors, will be used by government planners, policymakers, and administrators in formulating social and economic development plans, policies, and programs.

This is in compliance with Republic Act No. 10625, the Philippine Statistical Act of 2013, which mandates the PSA to prepare and conduct periodic censuses on various sectors of the economy and Executive Order No. 352 requiring the monthly conduct of the rice and corn stocks survey.

Armonia added that seven statistical researchers will be involved in the survey on data collection, which will start on May 1 to 5, 2023. Prior to the actual survey, the researchers underwent a one-day training for their preparation in field data collection and will later follow the manual editing and computerized data processing.

In Oriental Mindoro, there are 201 sample households to be interviewed for the said survey, located in the municipalities of Bulalacao, Baco, Bongabong, Gloria, Socorro, Pola, Victoria, Naujan, and City of Calapan.

“The PSA is committed to delivering relevant and reliable statistics. Hence, we encourage the public, especially the sample households and establishments, to participate in the various censuses and surveys that we are conducting,” Armonia said.

He added that their agency assures that all collected personal information will be processed in accordance with the law and other issuances.

The PSA has been conducting the Enhanced RCSS:H monthly to generate timely and reliable data on rice and corn stocks at the household level.

The survey is crucial in monitoring the supply and demand situation of the country’s major staple food crops.