Transcript Strengths and Weaknesses in the Compilation of the SUA for the Preparation of FBS (Gladys Moreno Garcia)

ESS, FAO
7/15/2016
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
The Supply Utilization Accounts (SUAs) are the core statistics of a
statistical framework for food and agricultural commodities.

Can be a powerful tool for making the best use of available
statistical information in formulating plans for developing the
agricultural sector.

Contribute to support the mandate in the Article 1 of the FAO
Constitution.

Establishing such a system will also help to pinpoint many
inconsistencies in the statistical series, leading to a better
recognition of the need to improve statistics on food and agriculture.
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7/15/2016
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The SUA was conceived as an statistical system for
the whole agricultural sector
(crop, livestock, fisheries and forestry)
Input-output matrix
Intermediate consumption
Commodity and country aggregates
• quantities
•monetary value
•nutritive values
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7/15/2016
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Integrated
system
Production
Trade
Utilization
Resources
land
fertilizers
pesticides
machinery
Quantities
Producer prices
Retail prices
Import / export unit values
Nutritive values
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7/15/2016
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

Incomplete development of the system
1. Full integration of all sectors
2. Producer and retail prices
3. Input prices
4. Global food accounts (energy)
Preparing SUAs is not simply a “routine” or “data input”
exercise

It is a complex exercise with several interlinked
steps requiring knowledge and expertise

The system was developed, step by step, over a long
period of time

Present system is very labour intensive. The number
of staff available to support this system is now less
than half compared to 20 years ago putting huge
pressure on the remaining staff and compromising
the quality of eth resultant data
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7/15/2016
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SUA elements

A SUA consists of elements that are basic or essential such as:
 production,
 imports, exports and
 domestic use,
and those that are supplementary such as:
 animals slaughtered,
 harvested area or seeding rate

Elements classification:
 Official data
 Estimated data
 Balance or remainder data
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7/15/2016
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◦ Production and trade data are part of the ongoing national official
statistics collected annually by ESS
◦ Feed, seed, waste, processing for food and non food products
and others utilization are elements estimated in the current
system when FAOSTAT is updated.
The estimation in general is based in the international
technical conversion factors available
◦ Food available for consumption and stock variation are derived as
residuals
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7/15/2016
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World wide response rate to the FAO production
questionnaires by geographic region
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Comments

There is a lack of coordination with the focal points multiple data
producers at country level.

The commodity list is too detailed.

There is a lack of statistical estimation methods for missing data:
 In FAO Statistics Division
The trend data
Repeat previous year’s data
 In general in the developing countries:
 The most frequent methods are:
1. Eyes estimation method
2. Ceiling estimation method
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Trade Statistics

Data collection and data exchange with electronic files (150
countries)

Joint data collection exercise with UNSD and OECD

Mirror data used to estimate missing data

Data file format issues

Data quality issues especially for quantity data (not priority of
customs departments which are the main collection point)
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7/15/2016
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FAO-Trade data availability in FAO working
system
Trade data availability-number of reporting countries during 2004-2008
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Region
Africa
America
Asia&Oceania
Europe
TOTAL World
Reporting Response
countries rate-%
28
30
43
43
144
52.8
71.4
71.7
84.3
69.9
Repor
ting
count
ries
34
33
39
42
148
Response Reporting Response
rate-%
countries rate-%
64.2
78.6
65.0
82.4
71.8
31
29
39
43
142
58.5
69.0
65.0
84.3
68.9
Reporting Response
countries rate-%
Reporting Response
countries rate-%
26
32
35
42
135
49.1
76.2
58.3
82.4
65.5
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7/15/2016
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30
31
43
129
47.2
71.4
51.7
84.3
62.6
11
Crops Primary and derived Commodities
Crops
Primary
Cereals & Products
Processed
Total
17
69
86
Roots, Tubers and derived Products
7
11
18
Sugar crops & products
4
20
24
Pulses & products
11
2
13
Nuts & products
10
6
16
Oil-bearing crops &products
21
63
84
Vegetables & products
27
15
42
Fruit &products
36
37
73
Fibres Of Vegetable Origin
13
5
18
Spices
9
0
9
Stimulant crops
5
10
15
13
6
19
0
4
4
173
248
421
Tobacco
Beverages
Total
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7/15/2016
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Livestock Primary and Processed Products
Livestock
Primary
Processed
Total
Products from Slaughtered Animals
42
58
100
Products from Live Animals
11
48
59
Hides &Skins
14
28
42
0
3
3
Other livestock products
Total
67
137
204
Main Problems
•Avalilability of official data
•Reliability of conversion factors
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7/15/2016
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Estimation methods and others points
 In FAO Statistics Division
 The trend data
 Repeat previous year’s data
 Seed: Whenever a seed rate is available the figure of
the next year’s Area Sown will determinate the amount of
Seed of the product (ies. Seed of yr1 = Area Sown of yr2
* Seed Rate).
 In cases where no data is provided by the country for
Area Sown or Area Harvest these figures will be
estimated using the extraction rate of neighbouring
countries as indicator of the level of the extraction rate.
The same can apply also to the seeding rate figure
 Waste does not contain the household wastage.
 Processing for food: several processed commodities may be
derived from the combination of more than combination
 Other utilization can contain amount used for biofuels, alcohol, etc,
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7/15/2016
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Food and Stock Variation

Food. Data here refer to the total amount of the commodity
available for human consumption during the year.

Food is one of the most important elements in SUAs if not the most
important. The practice used for estimating food supply as a
residual should, however, be supplemented by comprehensive
household food consumption surveys in order to provide a crosscheck on food availability in a country.

Stocks variation is the recommendation of FAO Methodology
as data on stocks is very rare in the countries.
 No stock data is requested from or reported by countries.
 This is a weak point in the current system.
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7/15/2016
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In summary: Key Issues
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Preparing SUAs is a complex exercise with several
interlinked steps requiring knowledge and expertise.
Quality of national data sources
Problems in data collection; improving of the
communication channels with the countries
Large number of commodities, especially processed
food
Many variables estimated
Reliability of conversion factors; Problems in
obtaining/updating parameters for estimation
Validation and revision of data mostly manual, not
automated
Thanks for your attention.
ESS, FAO
7/15/2016
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