Agricultural statistics are an important tool for monitoring and managing the market of agricultural products. Statistics are also becoming an important instrument for evaluating agricultural policies.
Agricultural statistics cover cereals, industrial plants, other crops in arable land, vegetables, fruits, citrus, olive and vineyards. These statistics provide detailed information on the sown area, production area, harvested area, production of crops under arable land, total number of trees in permanent cops as well number of trees in production, as well as production, and yields of permanent crops.
Legal basis
Administrative Sources
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Statistical Sources
- Annual Agriculture Survey
- Greenhouse and Big farm Surveys
Updated variables are
- The status of holding activity
• Legal status
• Main activity
• Main categories of Utilised Agricultural Area (UAA)
• Area and production of crops under arable land
• Area and production of vegetables in open field and in protected area
• The total area and area in production of permanent crops by kinds
• Production and yield of permanent crops by kinds
• Address and communication variables
Agricultural economic activity is based on Nomenclature of Economic Activities, NACE Rev. 2
Definitions
Agricultural Economic Unit (UNEB) - is the only economic, economical unit defined in a unique direction from the ground and why in non-continuous parcels where agricultural and livestock production is run by a single person or group of persons , for the realization of agricultural-livestock activities.
Land use
The total area is the entirety of the economical units’ territory composed of the sum of the utilised agriculture area (UAA) and other land.
Utilised agricultural area composed by:
- arable land,
- permanent crops,
- kitchen gardens used by the holding and
- permanent grassland,
Arable land
Arable land (ploughed or tilled) regularly, generally under a system of crop rotation. Crop rotation is the practice of alternating annual crops grown on a specific field in a planned pattern or sequence in successive crop years. Normally the crops are changed annually, but they can also be multi-annual. To distinguish arable land from permanent crops or permanent grassland, a threshold of five years is used. The area cultivated with field plants is the area planted with these kinds of plants in a given agricultural year. Here we speak of an area with main crops (primary). The main crops (primary) normally have a greater economical value than the other cultures and occupy the land in the most part of the year. The main crops are wheat, spring cultures like the grain maize, potatoes, the legume, industrial plants, the alfalfa, etc.
Permanent crops
Permanent crops area is area of land with fruit trees, olives, citrus and vineyards. Here are included only area with permanent crops in blocks.
Kitchen gardens
Areas devoted to the cultivation of agricultural products intended for self-consumption by the holder and his household, normally separated off from the rest of the arable land, and recognisable as kitchen gardens.
Permanent grassland
Land used permanently (for five years or more) to grow herbaceous forage crops, through cultivation (sown) or naturally (self-seeded), and that is not included in the crop rotation on the holding. The land can be used for grazing or mown for silage, hay or used for renewable energy production.
Other land
The forest area
The forests are the area occupied with forests presents those territory extinctions in which there are forest woods, woods or bushes which produce timbering and other forest productions.
The unutilised agricultural area
The unutilised agricultural area is the land area sufficiently able for agricultural production but for some reasons it hasn’t been used in the given agricultural year.
Non agriculture area
Other land is land occupied by buildings, farmyards, tracks, ponds, quarries, infertile land, rock, etc.
Harvest year
Harvest year’ means the calendar year in which the harvest begins.
Area under cultivation
Area under cultivation means the area that corresponds to the total sown area, but after the harvest it excludes ruined areas (e.g. due to natural disasters). In area under cultivation included main and secondary area of crops.
Production area of permanent crops
Production area’, in connection with permanent crops, means the area that can potentially be harvested in the reference harvest year. It excludes all non-producing areas, such as new plantations that have not yet started to produce, extensive production or abandoned
Organic farming
Organic farming is a mode of agricultural production that uses organic production methods and places the greatest emphasis on the protection of the environment and wildlife and, in relation to livestock production, on animal welfare considerations. Organic production includes general production management systems for crops and livestock, emphasizing on-farm management practices over off-farm inputs.
Organic Products
Organic products are plant or animal products, which are controlled at all stages of production and processing, from the first step to the consumer, treated without the use of inputs and methods that harm humans, the environment or the ecosystem.