Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Wednesday, January 18 called for the creation of an agricultural information system (AIS) to deter price manipulation of basic food items such as onion, which has recently seen record high levels.

Gatchalian said having an AIS in place could prevent any artificial shortages that hoarders may possibly use for profiteering purposes.

The senator pushed for Senate Bill No. 1374 or the Agriculture Information System Act, which he filed last year, which seeks to establish an AIS that would serve as an online computer database where the public can look into for information on the demand for specific agricultural and fisheries commodities, with production data from farmers, in every barangay.

"It appears that the Department of Agriculture (DA) did not properly focus on the supply and demand of onions and they only rely on the data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA),” Gatchalian said following the recent hearing of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food and Agrarian Reform.

“There should be a regular stock balance and price monitoring carried out by the DA on all agricultural products that will help in the policy and the right timing when to import them without greatly affecting the local production of our farmers and help to consumers through lower food prices,” the senator stressed.

“If they know where the supply is, they will get it for the Kadiwa Centers to prevent the agricultural products from rotting and for them to know where to provide support to boost production,” he pointed out.

Once passed into law, the system is expected to not only improve the productivity of farmers, but also ensure the adequacy of food supply in retail centers.

He also said creating a mechanism like the AIS would also prevent unwarranted importation of farm products that could negatively impact the competitiveness of the country’s farmers.

Based on the bill, the AIS shall merge and synchronize agricultural data from different sources into a cohesive database designed to facilitate linkages from the farm to the intended consumers, including global markets.