To date, the process promoted by this State portfolio is in the planning stage, which began at the end of 2020.
Ecuador will have updated statistical data on the agricultural and livestock sector in 2024. Until that year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), all phases of the National Agricultural Registry (Renagro) are expected to be executed.
To date, the process promoted by this State portfolio is in the planning stage, which began at the end of 2020.
The registry has the backing of the French Development Agency (AFD) and its objective is to obtain solid and complete information on the producers and the characteristics of their properties, which will allow ordering the delivery of the programs and projects executed by the MAG .
Santiago González, Director of Data Generation of the Agriculture portfolio, He explained that the Renagro, in turn, will allow raising the identity card of the agricultural producer. “This large database that we are going to obtain will also serve to measure the impact of public policy throughout the national territory.”
The work schedule is already established. In the first semester of 2022, it is expected to complete the technical planning phase, and then, with the documentation, obtain the priority opinion of the Government’s Technical Planning Secretariat and that the project be included in the Annual Investment Plan (PAI) from 2022.
For the second semester of that year, it is estimated to coordinate the entire logistics part of this large-scale statistical operation and, until the second semester of 2023, according to the climatic conditions of the country, the registration will begin.
Once the information is collected, which will be collected between July and December 2023, progress is made towards a processing stage to present data at the beginning of 2024.
The Renagro data will be public and will be included in a section in the portal of the Agricultural Public Information System (SIPA) that the MAG has enabled.
Pablo Álvarez, Director of Information Analysis at MAG, He explained that the amount to be committed in the agricultural census is $ 30 million distributed over four years. At the moment, AFD and the French government have an interest in financing the project. “All this linkage, through technical assistance, also works as a requirement to reach this financing from France.”
The collection of data that will be collected in the country, both from the agricultural and livestock chain, is carried out in Ecuador after 21 years.
In 2000, the III National Agricultural Census was carried out on a national scale, which included a questionnaire of 110 questions applied to 162,818 agricultural production units (UPA). UPAs are extensions of land, totally or partially dedicated to agricultural production, and which are considered as an economic unit.
In this new opportunity, the brigadistas will approach the productive units (farms or land) on a national scale, including the insular region, to collect data on types of crops, irrigation, environmental issues, employment and peasant family farming. The definition of variables is still being worked on for the elaboration of the definitive questionnaire.
From the farmers’ point of view, the plan stands out, but they also have objections.
Franklin Torres, president of the National Banana Federation of Ecuador (Fenabe), indicated that, in the past, there have been the same type of initiatives with the same objectives and, so far, there are no tangible results for agriculture.
Torres insisted that the statistics left by this census must be reliable, timely and, above all, true, so that correct decisions can be made. “The small banana producers, of which we are 79% in the entire country, demand inclusion in agricultural decision-making.”
The MAG reiterated that producers who are not associated or unionized will not be out of the planning; technicians will tour all geographic units. In fact, in order not to leave any area of the country out of the registry, the territory has been divided into research sectors. In this way, he details, sites will be mapped for the brigade members to sweep the information with all the producers, from the smallest.
The livestock sector, on the other hand, reiterated that before reaching a statistical operation of this magnitude, urgent needs must be addressed, such as vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease, the reinforcement of which is carried out this month.
Francesco Tabacchi, president of the Litoral and Galapagos Cattle Ranchers Association, He said that if this emergency is not addressed this year, there will be no cattle to register in 2023. (I)
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