Relevance

The Economic Accounts for Agriculture (EAA) provide detailed information on income from agricultural activity. The purpose is to analyse the production process and the primary income generated by this production. The accounts are therefore based on the industry concept.

The EAA provides a wide range of indicators on agricultural industry: output, intermediate consumption, gross and net value added, compensation of employees, other taxes and subsidies on production, net operating surplus, net entrepreneurial income, etc. at current and constant prices. Agricultural Labour Input (ALI) is also part of the overall concept of EAA; is measured in Annual Work Units (AWU) and is defined as full-time equivalent employment.

All the data related to EAA are collected under Regulation (EC) No. 212/2008.

Methodological description

All the data that are used to compile the economic accounts are obtained from various administrative sources, including the public abattoir, the Malta Food Agency, the Agricultural Directorate within the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal rights (MAFA), the private dairy plant and tomato processors.

Input price indices that are used for the compilation of the intermediate consumption, are based on prices obtained from the major retail outlets specialising in the provision of agricultural products together with data retrieved from the internal units of Price Statistics, Short-Term Business Statistics and the International Trade in Goods.

Accuracy and reliability of data

Annual EAA data are checked for consistency and compared with the data from the previous year. In case discrepancies emerge, the respective administrative sources are contacted again to update or verify the figures. 

Timeliness and punctuality of data

An annual news release related to economic accounts of agriculture is published on the NSO’s website as scheduled in the Advance Release Calendar, relating to the previous year.

Data are always collected and sent to Eurostat within the timeframes stipulated in the regulation and referring to the previous year.

Accessibility and clarity of data

A metadata report is produced at a national level and is available on the NSO’s metadata website.  

Coherence and comparability / consistency of data

The data are collected at NUTS 2 level and are comparable with that of other countries due to the adoption of common methodological guidelines.

Given that there are no methodological changes from year to year, the EAA statistics are comparable from 1999 onwards.

Since the EAA are compiled from administrative sources which are used for other agricultural domains comprising animal and crop production amongst others, the data are reconcilable. The National Accounts section makes use of the same data; thus data are fully comparable.

Metadata