Platform will measure Puerto Rico's agricultural production index

Thousands of farmers and citizens are expected to benefit from this tool.

April 19, 2023. The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute presented a new tool that will facilitate access to agricultural statistics and will allow us to know which products within local agriculture are in greater or lower demand in Puerto Rico. The platform of Statistics and Indicators of Agricultural Production in Puerto Rico, whose primary source of data was provided by the Department of Agriculture, and which will benefit thousands of farmers and citizens, includes: Production and Demand indices for tubers, meat, farinaceae, fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, milk and dairy products. As for production rates, the platform allows us to know aspects such as export vs. import. The demand indices, on the other hand, include data on per capita consumption vs. per capita production. The tool also includes agricultural statistics such as agricultural activities, losses and producers of small ruminants, as well as a metadata area for the definition of concepts. This platform, as reported, collects data from 1990 to 2021 and its constant updating will allow us to compare how the production of products such as Chinese, bananas, coffee, among others, behaves.

One of the aspects highlighted by the platform of Statistics and Indicators of Agricultural Production in Puerto Rico is the decline in local coffee production. According to data obtained by the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture, in 1990 local coffee production was 280,000 quintals, while in 2020 production decreased to 28,943 quintals. According to Manuel Mangual Martínez, Data and Statistics Specialist and Project Supervisor at the Institute, this decrease in production could, among other things, be the result of situations such as the passage of Hurricane Maria, which caused significant coffee losses since 2017, reaching its lowest point in 2019 with a production of 12,127 quintals.

“For several reasons, access to agricultural statistical information in Puerto Rico has been an enormous challenge for farmers, researchers and the general public. With this platform, the Institute provides all citizens, and especially farmers, with fast and universal access to data and statistics on food production and demand in Puerto Rico, in one place, accessible 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Access to these statistics will make it easier to make decisions based on empirical evidence, that promote food security in Puerto Rico,” said the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Orville M. Disdier Flores. Dr. Disdier also reported that the platform will continue to evolve and will have more information in the future.

The platform of Statistics and Indicators of Agricultural Production in Puerto Rico is available through the following link: Puerto Rico Agricultural Production Statistics and Index.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute is a governmental entity in the executive branch, with fiscal and administrative autonomy, whose main purpose is to ensure that Puerto Rico has complete, reliable statistics that are quickly and universally accessible. To learn more about the Institute of Statistics, you can access the website: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. On social media through Facebook accounts (@statistics.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) and LinkedIn (Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics).

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Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases Map & Statistics by Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering

(Map and statistics on global cases of Coronavirus COVID-19)

Note: This link, its data and its content is a tool for informational purposes and such content has not been evaluated by the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute; the content does not necessarily represent the opinion or approval of the Board of Directors, the Executive Director, the employees or any affiliate or partner of the Puerto Rico Statistics Institute. The information has been produced by an entity external to the Institute.

Access this map and its contents through the following link: https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6

Learn more about the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at JHU at: https://systems.jhu.edu/

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PRESS RELEASE

The Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics has a new president of its Board of Directors

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) has a new president of its Board of Directors. The Board elected the economist and former university professor, Nicolás Muñoz, as president after the resignation on April 3 of Arnaldo Cruz, who had been president for the past three years. Muñoz, who served as vice-president of the Institute's Board, has a master's degree in economics from the University of Puerto Rico and is president of Tactical Planners, Inc., a firm dedicated to economic consulting and strategic planning. Muñoz has held other ad honorem positions in the government of Puerto Rico, including a member of the Governor's Council of Economists, president of the Workforce Investment Board (WIA), a member of the Governor's Committee for the review of the minimum wage in Puerto Rico and a member of the Employment Opportunity Promotion Board of the Department of Labor.

Board members do not earn compensation for their services. The Board is composed, in addition to Muñoz, of Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso, vice-president, Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes, secretary, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez and the Hon. Manuel Laboy. This Board of Directors, as established in Act 209 of August 28, 2003, is the governing body that establishes the administrative policy of the institute, which is led by Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

Dr. Idania Rodríguez Ayuso has a master's degree in Epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico and a doctorate in Public Health with a concentration in Epidemiology from Walden University. Rodríguez is also an independent consultant in epidemiology, statistics and research and a professor at Ana G. Méndez University. Mrs. Carola Ballester Descartes has a master's degree in Planning from the University of Puerto Rico, where she is also a professor and associate dean of the School of Architecture, and a master's degree in Landscape Architecture from the Polytechnic University of Puerto Rico.

On the other hand, Mr. Vicente Feliciano Pérez has a bachelor's degree in Economics from Harvard University and an MBA, IMD Business School in Switzerland. Feliciano is also founder and president of Advantage Business Consulting. The Hon. Manuel Laboy Rivera, who represents the government official in the Board as established by law, has a bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico and a master's degree from the University of Turabo. Laboy is the secretary of the Department of Economic Development and Commerce and executive director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company.

As reported, the new members of the Board will concentrate their work on implementing the institute's Strategic Plan, which includes several goals, including: Develop an administrative structure that allows the proper functioning of internal processes, restructuring the statistical coordination committee so that it operates effectively and increases compliance with the law that governs the institute and establishes its mission, and improving the budget or capital by diversifying the institute's services and projects to obtain external income or funds non-governmental.

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.

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

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Contact: Idia M. Martínez, R‐28 787‐603‐3200

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