50% of farmers changed crops in the last five years due to production problems

50% of farmers changed crops in the last five years due to production problems

This is evidenced in the Puerto Rican Farmer Profile Study

San Juan, Puerto Rico. August 3, 2023. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute), presented the results of The Puerto Rican Farmer Profile Study, whose main objective was to collect information, data and statistics about farmers, their crops and incentives received by the Department of Agriculture, the federal government or the private sector. This was done as part of the Food Production and Demand Index Institute project for Puerto Rico. Among the most important aspects included in the survey are the collection of sociodemographic information, and possible barriers and challenges currently faced by farmers in Puerto Rico. In the same way, the study that can be accessed at Agriculture, under the “Farmer Profile” menu or tab, includes some comments from the farmers surveyed.

As for the Socio-Demographic Data obtained:

• 66% of the farmers who participated in the survey identified themselves as men.
• On the other hand, 34% of those who participated in the survey identified themselves as women.
• The age group most represented by the farmers who participated in the survey was 55-59 years old.

• 35% of the farmers who participated indicated that they had a baccalaureate degree.
• 27% of the farmers who participated in the survey indicated that they had an annual income between $25,000 and $49,999.

Related to the Agricultural infrastructure the following data were obtained:

• 85% of the study participants identified themselves as farmers, while 14% identified themselves as farmers and 1% as others.
• 42% of the study participants indicated that they had been in the agricultural industry for more than 10 years and 34% indicated that they had been in the agricultural industry for 1 to 6 years.
• In the farinaceous sector, the most harvested product was bananas followed by green guineos (45% and 29%, respectively).
• In the fresh fruit sector, 30% of the participants reported harvesting coffee.
• In the fresh vegetable sector, 30% of the participants indicated that they are dedicated to the harvest of vegetables.
• In the herbs and spices sector, 7% of the participants indicated that they are dedicated to the coriander harvest.
• 85% of farmers reported using cell phones for their business.
• On the other hand, 76% of farmers reported using internet service and 63% using computers for their business.
• 60% of farmers indicated that they sell or distribute their produce directly to the consumer and 30% indicated that they sell or distribute their products on other farms.
• The agricultural region with the highest participation in the survey was that of Caguas, with a participation of 20 people.
• On the other hand, the agricultural region with the lowest representation in the survey was that of San Germán, with a participation of 9 people.

About the Economic incentives and aid provided to farmers the following data were obtained:

• 74% of farmers indicated that they had not received financial support from the government. While 85% indicated that they had not received support from private companies. 26% of farmers indicated that they had received financial aid from the government.
• 47% of farmers indicated that they had received some incentive or financial support from the federal government due to a natural disaster.
• 40% of farmers indicated that they had received some incentive or financial support from the federal government due to the pandemic (COVID-19) event.
• On the other hand, 53% indicated that they had not received incentives or financial support for a natural disaster and 60% because of the pandemic from the federal government.
• 53% of farmers said they had not received any support or services for the following categories: purchase of machinery, purchase of materials, rental of machinery, any technical assistance, credit or financing, obtaining insurance, marketing or processing or transformation of their products.
• Of those farmers who indicated that they had received some type of service or support, 22% indicated that they had received it for the purchase of machinery.

As for the Barriers and difficulties faced by farmers, these indicated:

• During the period of 2020-2021, 73% of the farmers interviewed indicated that the biggest barrier they presented in their business was high material costs.
• In addition, 59% indicated that they faced problems due to lack of employees.

• On the other hand, 54% reported having problems in their business due to weather events.

• 64% of farmers indicated that the biggest cause of their losses due to weather events was due to hurricanes.
• 50% of farmers indicated that they had to change crops in the last 5 years due to production problems.
• 47% of farmers indicated that they had to change their cycle or season to plant in the last 5 years.
• Among the farmers who participated in the study, the majority mentioned having difficulties when going to the Department of Agriculture in the service area.

“Knowing the needs of our farmers will help us promote and improve local agriculture and strengthen our food security. For this reason, we are extremely pleased with the data obtained in this study, which will serve, among other data, as a basis for justifying various initiatives that improve food production in Puerto Rico,” said Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores, executive director of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics.

The study, which was carried out through an electronic platform to farmers over 18 years of age, was carried out from May 30, 2023 to June 27, 2023 and 160 responses were received, of which 108 (68%) were considered valid. The electronic questionnaire used mixed methods, where both quantitative and qualitative information was collected.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally.

On Puerto Rico's Agricultural Production Statistics and Index, interested parties can visit the multiple sections on the portal: Agriculture.

To learn more about the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, you can access the website at www.estadisticas.pr.gov and on social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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PRESS RELEASE

Statistics Institute and Cities League sign collaboration agreement

San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 21, 2020 — The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) and the Puerto Rico Cities League, represented by their respective executive directors, Dr. Orville M. Disdier and planner Cristina M. Miranda Palacios, signed a collaboration agreement to share efforts and resources, in order to increase the knowledge and understanding of municipal employees about statistical methodologies, and the use and management of data.

The League of Cities is a non-profit entity that unites local governments in a non-partisan effort to improve the quality of life of the Puerto Rican people. Through this alliance, both entities will share information and resources. The League will collaborate by allowing access to the Institute to official, reliable and quality statistics and information about municipalities. For its part, the Institute will provide expert advice in the analysis of municipal data, particularly with the objective of developing metrics that allow comparing and generating indicators of socio-economic development, health and quality of life of its inhabitants.

“Part of the Institute's vision is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics that are quickly and universally accessible. This includes making these statistics available to government agencies themselves as part of their analysis and decision-making process, and for the benefit of cities,” said Dr. Disdier.

“Data is vital information in municipal management. They are useful for explaining the past, understanding the present and making future decisions that benefit the people who are the reason for the existence of municipalities. The League is the result of a meeting of wills, from which a non-profit, non-political partisan entity was born, focused on advancing the municipal agenda, which is the agenda of the people. This collaborative agreement with the Institute of Statistics is another step in that mission. It strengthens the path that we have started together, the municipalities and entities of the executive branch towards a better quality of life for Puerto Ricans,” said Miranda.

Some of the data that the Institute will be able to provide to the League are statistics on COVID-19, economic activity and demographic aspects in municipalities, as well as statistics produced by the US Census Bureau, among others. In addition, based on available resources, the Institute will provide training to municipal employees so that they can make better use of data and statistics.

The agreement, which will be in effect until June 2022, is an example of the initiatives that can be developed between governmental and non-governmental sectors for the benefit of Puerto Rico.

About the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity tasked with coordinating the government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and accessible quickly and universally. In addition, as the leading entity of the SDC in Puerto Rico, the Institute manages the SDC portal, which contains the main statistical reports and publications of the U.S. Census Bureau about Puerto Rico, specifically those that are most in demand, such as annual population estimates, the Puerto Rico Community Survey (Puerto Rico Community Survey) and official statistics on Puerto Rico's 10-year population and housing censuses, among others. The Puerto Rico SDC portal can be accessed through: https://censo.estadisticas.pr/.

For more information you can visit the website: https://estadisticas.pr.gov/. In addition, you can follow the Institute on social networks, through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR) and LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) accounts.

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Press Contact:

Idia Martínez

787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net

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40% higher the price of eggs in the urban area of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas

Similarly, grocery items are 11.4% more expensive in this area than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States

San Juan, Puerto Rico — November 22, 2024. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute released the results of the Cost of Living Index (COLI) for the third quarter of 2024, corresponding to the months of July, August and September. The data reveals that the urban area of the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) of San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked number 18 in the supermarket category. In percentage terms, the supermarket items in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA are 11.4% more expensive than the average among 295 participating urban areas in the United States.

Within the category of supermarket items, the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA is positioned as the most expensive urban area in the United States for the cost of eggs, ranking first in the ranking. This means that this product is 40% higher than the average in urban areas of the United States. On the other hand, in the health care category, the visit to the general practitioner is in position number 295, while dental cleaning is in position 293, positioning the urban area as one of the most affordable among the participants in the country for these services.

In terms of the overall Cost of Living, the urban area of Metropolitan Statistical Area San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas is ranked 80th out of 295 in the United States, with a composite index of 102.3. This indicates that the cost of living in this area is 2.3% higher than the average of participating urban areas in the United States.

Below are the indexes and rankings by category for the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA:

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The composite index is derived from six main categories of consumer spending, with high costs in public services and supermarket items highlighted. These are partially offset by relatively low costs in health care and miscellaneous goods and services.

The 15 municipalities that make up the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and that meet the characteristics for price collection according to the established methodology are: Bayamón, Caguas, Canóvanas, Carolina, Cataño, Cidra, Dorado, Gurabo, Guaynabo, Rio Grande, San Juan, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto and Vega Alta.

“The COLI results for the third quarter of 2024 show that in the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA, public services, grocery items and housing are, on average, much more expensive than in most participating MSAs in the rest of the United States. The COLI, carried out by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute, is an essential tool for evidence-based decision-making related to the development and economic growth of Puerto Rico,” explained Dr. Orville M. Disdier, Executive Director of the Institute.

COLI is a crucial tool for understanding regional differences in the costs of consumer goods and services. The indices are calculated based on data collected quarterly in each participating urban area. Since 1968, the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) has developed this widely recognized methodology.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute also offers a comparative cost-of-living calculator between the urban area of the San Juan-Bayamón-Caguas MSA and the rest of the participating cities in the United States. This tool is available at: https://apps.estadisticas.pr/coli/.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is an autonomous governmental entity responsible for coordinating the Government's statistical production service to ensure that the data collection and statistics systems, on which public policies are based, are complete, reliable, and have quick and universal access.

For more information you can visit the website: www.estadisticas.pr or write to preguntas@estadisticas.pr. They can also follow social networks through Facebook (@estadisticas .pr), X (@EstadisticasPR), LinkedIn (Institute of Statistics of Puerto Rico) and Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) accounts.

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