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

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22 December 2025

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

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Mayors are urged to mobilize resources for the 2020 Census

PRESS RELEASE

Office of the President

Vital for the country that mayors mobilize to obtain

Responses to the 2020 Census

President of the Board of Directors of the Institute of Statistics made an urgent appeal to municipal officials given the low participation of only 25% of the response

The president of the Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, economist and university professor Nicolás Muñoz-Muñoz, urged all mayors to mobilize the resources of municipal agencies to visit street by street, combing all communities to alert families to the importance of filling out the 2020 Population Census form. I am taking all preventive and protective measures as far as COVID-19 is concerned.

As of July 13, only 25% of families had answered the Census. This, according to Muñoz, represents half of those who had answered the Census in 2010. In mid-July, the level of response in municipalities ranged from 14 to 31 percent. “It is vital for municipalities and their inhabitants that the federal funds that arrive are not reduced by 25% or more. Without downplaying the exercise of the democratic right to vote, designating resources to help citizens complete the Census should be considered as meritorious as the efforts being made for the primary and electoral process,” Muñoz said.

“If mobilization were not promoted to encouraging communities to dedicate 15 minutes to answering the form, we would add another disaster to the chain of events that have occurred in the country since the earthquake in January to the present. In this case, a disaster whose consequences would last 10 years,” said Muñoz.

The economist explained that, if 25% of the population does not answer, Puerto Rico could result in a population of less than 3 million and could receive 25% less federal funding, equivalent to $5 billion annually or $50 billion over 10 years, if we consider an average current allocation of $20 billion annually. This is without considering additional special allocations in the case of natural disasters.

It was also reported that more than 300 federal programs base the distribution of funds on population data. These programs include federal funding for road construction, agriculture, rural development, housing, urban development, solid waste management, telecommunications infrastructure, drinking water, protection of coastal resources, assistance for paying household rent, education, justice, nutrition assistance programs, school breakfasts, child care, workforce development under the WIOA Act (among other laws), assistance for the elderly and health, including Medicaid, and other programs.

“The economic situation of municipalities will worsen if access to federal funds allocated by Congress is reduced. Every Puerto Rican who can read and write can fill out the Census form. It can be filled out “online” or on paper. Each neighbor can help another neighbor who can't read and write or how to fill it out, particularly older adults. It's everyone's job, but mayors, who are the officials closest to the needs of citizens, must exercise their leadership in this vital priority for Puerto Rico,” Muñoz concluded.

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Press Contact:

Idia M. Martínez

787-603-3200

imartinez@upfrontpr.net

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Publican los Compendios Estadísticos 2021-2022 del sector de Educación Privada

9 de diciembre de 2022: El Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico publicó el Compendio Estadístico de Escuelas Privadas PK-12 en Puerto Rico 2021-2022, y el Compendio Estadístico de Instituciones Postsecundarias Técnico-Vocacionales en Puerto Rico 2021-2022. Ambos compendios fueron producidos en colaboración con la Oficina de Registro y Licenciamiento de Instituciones de Educación, la cual forma parte del Departamento de Estado del Gobierno de Puerto Rico. Estos compendios proveen información estadística importante, como lo es la matrícula, cantidad de docentes, tasa de promoción, graduación o egresados, entre otros.

Se destacan como resultados relevantes del Compendio Estadístico 2021-2022 del sector de Educación Básica (PK-12) Privada:

La matrícula de estudiantes aumentó de 108,178 (año escolar 2020-2021) a 109,979 (año escolar 2021-2022).
El 51% de los estudiantes eran del sexo masculino y el 49% del sexo femenino.
La cantidad de maestros y maestras aumentó de 9,554 (año escolar 2020-2021) a 9,749 (año escolar 2021-2022).
El 80% de la facultad eran maestras, mientras que el 20% eran maestros.
El costo promedio del pago mensual fluctuó entre $313 y $408.
De los 313 incidentes de acoso reportados, el 49.5% consistieron en acoso verbal y el 25.6% en acoso cibernético.

Asimismo, se destacan como resultados relevantes del Compendio Estadístico 2021-2022 de sector de Instituciones Postsecundarias Técnico-Vocacionales:

La matrícula de estudiantes aumentó de 17,700 (año académico 2020-2021) a 24,089 (año académico 2021-2022).
El 49% de los estudiantes eran del sexo masculino y el 51% del sexo femenino.
La cantidad de profesores y profesoras disminuyó de 2,791 (año escolar 2020-2021) a 2,609 (año escolar 2021-2022).
El 52% de la facultad eran profesoras, mientras que el 48% eran profesores.
El 68% de la facultad trabajaba a tiempo parcial, mientras que el 32% a tiempo completo.

“Durante la pasada década, el sistema educativo ha experimentado importantes cambios en todos los niveles. Estos cambios no solo se reflejan en el sector público, sino también en el sector privado de prekínder a duodécimo grado y en el sector postsecundario técnico-vocacional. Contar con información cuantitativa sobre estos cambios es primordial para, ante estos retos, tomar decisiones basadas en la evidencia, y planificar las acciones a futuro”, expresó el Dr. Orville M. Disdier.

Damaris Nolasco, directora de la Oficina de Registro y Licenciamiento de Instituciones de Educación del Departamento de Estado, expresó que, “Aunque la matrícula de estudiantes del sector privado PK-12 demostró un aumento en comparación con el año anterior 2020-2021, es importante esperar a los próximos compendios, pues, debido a la pandemia, el año 2020-2021 fue uno atípico y confirmar si esta tendencia de aumento se mantiene. Definitivamente, es importante recopilar, producir y publicar los compendios estadísticos en colaboración con el Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico”.

Tanto el Compendio Estadístico de Escuelas Privadas PK-12 en Puerto Rico, como el Compendio Estadístico de Instituciones Postsecundarias Técnico-Vocacionales en Puerto Rico 2021-2022, se puede acceder, en cualquier momento a través de la siguiente dirección electrónica:

Compendios estadísticos sobre la educación privada no universitaria

Para preguntas técnicas sobre este informe, pueden enviar un correo electrónico a: preguntas@estadisticas.pr.

Para conocer más sobre el Instituto de Estadísticas, pueden acceder la página web: www.estadisticas.pr.gov. En las redes sociales a través de las cuentas de Facebook (@estadisticas.pr), Twitter (@EstadisticasPR), Instagram (@institutodeestadisticas) y LinkedIn (Instituto de Estadísticas de Puerto Rico).

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The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) today released the Statistical Yearbook of the Puerto Rico Education System 2013-2014.

The Puerto Rico Statistics Institute (Institute) today released the Statistical Yearbook of the Puerto Rico Education System 2013-2014.

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