The Department of Agriculture –  Information and Communications Technology Service, Field Operations Service and BFAR-Fisheries Information Management Center, together with the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation are set to form the “Task Force Juan Magsasaka” which will handle the efficient and speedy updating of the National Farmers and Fisheries Information System (NFFIS) otherwise known as the Juan Magsasaka Project.

The updated records of farmers and fishers, as well as the new lists to be included in the NFFIS will be part of the official Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA).

The RSBSA will then serve as the official and legitimate list of beneficiaries of a “rice competitiveness enhancement fund” created following the signing if the rice tariffication bill.

The beneficiaries of the Rice Fund shall be those rice farmers and rice farmworkers and their dependents listed in the RSBSA. The DA, in consultation with farmers’ cooperatives and organizations and LGUs shall validate and update the existing RSBSA to ensure that those listed are legitimate farmers and farmworkers.

Dir. John D. Pagaduan, officer-in-charge of DA-ICTS and vice chairman of the DA-ICT Advisory Committee, said Juan Magsasaka – a Web and Mobile (Android)-based application to be used in the updating and validation is already running.

“Actual registration process was put into test during the launching of Production Loan Easy Access program in Malimono, Surigao del Sur, Onion Farmers registration in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija and LGU-based farmers’ registration in M’lang, North Cotabato,” Pagaduan added.

Juan Magsasaka is part of the Digitalization of Agriculture initiatives of DA which include Geotagging, Geo-referencing of all farm parcels, and the efficient end-to-end monitoring tool of all interventions distributed to farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries.

“We are finalizing the guidelines and protocols for the system’s rollout, this will to include the Users’ Training up to LGU level.” – Pagaduan added. ### (ITCAFMedia)