The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Antique conducted the January 2023 round of the monthly Rice and Corn Stocks Survey: Commercial (RCSS:C) on the first four (4) days of January 2023. The survey aims to assess the current rice and corn stocks inventories in the establishments like wholesale-retail stores and warehouses.

In order to improve the reliability of the results of the survey, a redesigned RCSS:C was implemented. This employs a new sampling design, which is probability proportional to size systematic with total employment as size measure variable, and a new sampling frame which is the establishments engaged in palay, rice and/or corn trading from the 2021 Updated List of Establishments (ULE).

Stocks information in the commercial sector together with stocks from the household and government sectors are used to monitor stocks situation of the food staples to ensure supply and demand equilibrium, access, and price stability. It also serves as inputs to the estimation and compilation of national accounts.

Moreover, the survey supports the needs of planners, policy and decision makers, and other stakeholders in the agriculture sector particularly the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), National Food Authority (NFA) and Department of Agriculture (DA), and the general public.

Five (5) Statistical Researchers (SRs) were involved in the conduct of the January 2023 RCSS:C data collection on January 01 to 04, 2023 covering 34 sample establishments in the municipalities of Anini-y, Belison, Bugasong, Culasi, Tobias Fornier, Hamtic, Laua-an, Libertad, Pandan, Patnongon, San Jose, Sibalom, Tibiao and Valderrama. Manual editing and computerized data processing was done by the Provincial Focal Person for the generation of data files.

A Statistical Researcher conducting interview in one of the sample establishments of RCSS:C