ILOILO – The institutionalization of the Provincial Agri-fishery Information System (PAIS) is expected to benefit local farmers in marketing their agricultural products.
According to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., PAIS is one of the measures that could help reboot the local economy reeling from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
PAIS is as a computer-based system. It gathers agricultural production data from the barangay level to the municipal level and further consolidated at the provincial level to obtain actual data of the production levels of commodities produced in the province.
“We already have a budget. It is the province that will release to each municipality a set of computers that will be dedicated to PAIS,” Defensor said.
The system will also merge agricultural data from the different sources into a database aiming to facilitate linkages with all stakeholders in the value chain, with the integration of existing systems of the Department of Agriculture.
Moreover, the system will help resolve the marketing problems of the local farmers during peak of the harvest season and will enable higher productivity among farmers despite the community quarantine measures.
Meanwhile, the local government unit (LGU) of Mina, Iloilo initiated the system that will be a significant tool in helping the farming sector thrive as the community transitions to the new normal.
The Municipal Agri-fishery Information System (MAIS) of Mina, Iloilo is set to be replicated in 43 other LGUs in the province.
The Local Economic Development and Investment Promotion Center will work together with the Mina AIS for the installation of the software, and the training of LGUs on the system operation. (With a report from PIA/PN)