Govt updating method for rice data collection

Govt updating method for rice data collection

JAKARTA (JP): The Ministry of Agriculture and the Central
Bureau of Statistics (BPS) are preparing new methodology to
provide more accurate statistical data on the country's rice
production.

Minister of Agriculture Soleh Solahuddin said on Tuesday that
more accurate, reliable and timely statistical information on
rice production and other agricultural products was more crucial
today because inaccurate estimates would mislead the public and
result in the failure of the government's food programs.

"Reliable data is needed to set an accurate forecast for
imports of rice and other foodstuffs. We have found that there
were disparities in previous agricultural statistics that need to
be addressed to avoid further problems in the coming years,"
Soleh said after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of
understanding between the ministry and the Japanese government.

Soleh said the methodology in the collection of data on the
farming area and yield used to forecast rice and food crop
production had been introduced in 1972 and needed to be revised
because conditions in the country had changed considerably.

Under the MOU, the Japanese government through the Japan
International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will provide experts to
improve statistical methodology and train the ministry and BPS
officials to conduct better surveys.

The MOU was signed by the ministry's secretary-general
Syarifuddin Karama and the Minister of Embassy at the Japanese
embassy, Norio Hattori.

Soleh said the MOU was an extension of the existing
cooperation in agricultural statistics technology improvement and
the training project, which will ended in October 1999. The
previous cooperation covered rice and crops production estimation
in Cianjur and Sukabumi regencies in West Java. (gis)