DILI, May 12, 2020 (TATOLI) – The first nation-wide agricultural census is in its final stages, with the Ministry of Agriculture (MAP) set to send the data to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for review.
The Director-General of Statistics with the Ministry of Finance, Elias dos Santos Ferreira, informed Prime Minister Taur Matan Ruak yesterday on the progress.
“Our team and the FAO will present the data to the regional office in Bangkok for the review. 98% of the data are correct and [we] will only carry out the review so that we can launch [it],” she said at the Government Palace in Dili yesterday.
Timor-Leste has never conducted an agricultural census, although the 2015 population census found 89.8 per cent of households are involved in agriculture, and that farming provides subsistence to 80 per cent of the population.
According to the Director-General, the report will be released “soon”, once the review is finished by the FAO to “know how many farmers and people are dedicated to livestock”.
The census, carried out from August to October last year, also contained questions about general population data.
The Director-General also informed the prime minister the next Population Census, due to take place this year will be postponed to 2021, because of the stalled General State Budget.
Related news: PM: Governing Coalition “No Longer Exists” After Budget Rejection
According to population census data in 2015, the total population of Timor-Leste was 1.18 million, across 204,000 households. The 2019 Agricultural census estimates the population at around 1.3 million among 213,400 households.
Journalist: Nelia Fernandes
Editors: Robert Baird, Maria Auxiliadora
Translation: Nelia Borges
