15 October 2020
Launch of the Census of Agriculture 2020
The National Statistics Office (NSO) will be holding the Census of
Agriculture 2020 in accordance with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU)
2018/1874. The data collection will be spread over five months; starting in
October 2020. The Census date will be September 30, 2020. For the first time,
the Census of Agriculture will be held in collaboration with the Agriculture
Directorate within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights.
Through this Census, detailed information will be collected and compiled
on Malta’s agricultural sector. All Maltese farmers who are engaged in crop
production, livestock breeding and/or beekeeping will be asked to provide
specific statistical data related to their agricultural activity during the
last 12-month period preceding the Census date. Approximately 10 million
farmers across the European Union will be taking part in a similar exercise
during the year 2020.
Information that will be collected includes:
- General
characteristics of the agricultural holdings;
- Agricultural
area used by farmers to cultivate crops and/or permanent crops in each parcel;
- Kinds
of livestock and number of heads reared by farmers;
- Different
kinds of animal housing in farms;
- Manure
management systems;
- Human
resources employed by agricultural holdings; and
- Machinery used by the
agricultural holdings.
Upon completion, the aggregated results will be made
public and used to identify and address specific issues through tailor-made
policy measures that concern this sector. These statistics will also be used for
planning and support purposes that might be necessary for the consolidation and
preservation of this vital economic activity. Such statistical data will be
shared with the statistical office of the European Union, Eurostat, whereby
Malta’s agricultural situation will be compared with that in other European
member states.
Participation in the Census of Agriculture is obligatory
as set in the Malta Statistics Authority Act, Chapter 422 of the Laws of Malta
and the Agriculture Returns Ordinance, Chapter 84 of the Laws of Malta.
Like with all its
surveys, the NSO ensures that the data collected remains confidential and will
be used solely for the statistical purposes of the two entities.