balita.ph; July 21, 2011 10:43 pm

CANDABA, Pampanga, July 21 – National Food Authority (NFA) Administrator Lito Banayo on Thursday cited the efforts of the Candaba municipal government for being the first in the country to adopt a computerized ID system for farmers.

Banayo served as guest of honor during the launching of computerized ID system for the local farmers held at the municipal hall here.

“It is indeed amazing. While the national government is still thinking of the ID system, you are already implementing it here. You are the first in the country to have such ID system,” he said.

The NFA administrator disclosed that there is pending proposal in the Department of Agriculture (DA) for a comprehensive ID system to the farmers in the country.

Mayor Jerry Pelayo said the new ID system will minimize any form of corruption, particularly during calamity, whenever the national government is providing assistance to farmers in the form of free seedlings, pesticides,
fertilizers and other agricultural needs.

There are instances when the national government is providing assistance during calamities. However, due to lack of information about the legitimate farmers and the actual hectares of their farmlands, some interested individuals are taking advantage instead, Pelayo said.

The mayor said the farmers' ID are completed with the necessary information that include the name, area and measurement of their tilted land, the location and what crops they are planting.

Pelayo said that Candaba has an approximate of 32,000 hectares of agricultural lands and yielding not less than one million cavans of palay a year. [(PNA)LAP/zst/HPM/ps]

Source: Candaba launches computerized ID system for farmers