Relevance
Crop production data is collected under Regulation (EC) No. 543/2009. These
statistics cover crops from arable land, permanent crops, and agricultural land
use, and are necessary for the implementation of agricultural policies.
Methodological description
Crop
statistics data is retrieved from administrative sources. Fruit and Vegetables data is collected from
the three local official markets; Pitkali Markets, Farmer Central Co-operative Society (FCCS), and
Gozitano. The information is
compiled on a daily basis, with Monday and Thursday being the busiest days. Data are recorded by crop where quantities and
value are kept. Such data are forwarded
to the NSO on a monthly basis.
Annual data
regarding potato exports is received from the International Trade Statistics
Unit within the NSO, while annual data regarding processed tomatoes is received
from the three private tomato processors. Data regarding grapes sold to vintners is
received from the viticulture section within the Department of Agriculture on a
yearly basis.
Accuracy and
reliability of data
Crop production data is checked for consistency and compared with the data
from previous months or years. In case discrepancies emerge, the respective
administrative sources are contacted again to update or verify the figures.
Timeliness and
punctuality of data
A news release about fruit and
vegetables is published bi-annually on the NSO’s website as scheduled in the Advance
Release Calendar, normally two months after end of the preceding 6-month
period.
Crop statistics data for a particular reference year is collected and transmitted to Eurostat before 30th September of the following year.
Accessibility and
clarity of data
Monthly data on crops is included in StatDB; the NSO's on-line
Statistical database.
Tables on crop statistics are
also included in the annual publication ‘Agriculture and Fisheries’ which is
available on the NSO’s website. The
publication was last published in 2016 for reference year 2014.
A quality report on
crops statistics is compiled according to an established structure and
sent to Eurostat every 3 years. A similar report is available on
the NSO’s metadata website.
Coherence and
comparability / consistency of data
The data collected could be compared with the data of other European Union member states since all countries follow the established guidelines of the stipulated regulations. Crops
statistics are comparable from 1997 onwards.
All data collected is used to compile the Economic Accounts for Agriculture and therefore data is comparable between these statistical domains.
The National Accounts section within the NSO makes use of the collected data which ensures internal consistency.
Metadata