PRODUCER PRICES

FAOSTAT provides data on producer prices for crop and livestock products. In the year 1995 the series in the FAOSTAT was interrupted for some time due to resource constraints. As this data-set is the main determinant of the type and volume of agricultural production activities and plays a fundamental role in preparation of Index Number of Agricultural Production the Statistics Division re-initiated collection of data on prices received by farmers for primary agricultural products. While initiating this work detailed thoughts have been given to improve quality, coverage and representative-ness of the data. The Statistics Division also made efforts to improve compatibility of the data with the similar data being compiled by EUROSTAT for its member countries. This up-dated price domain covers data from 1991 to 2001 for 83 countries world-wide, representing 87% of the world’s value of production at 1989-91 International Dollar Prices. Due to lack of resources detailed work could not be done for countries which have not provided any basic data and also for the period ending in 1990. Historical data on producer prices being compiled and disseminated earlier are still available upon request. However, for various known reasons the two data-sets may differ in the overlapping period. FAO Statistics Division would not like to give any explanation for differences in the two sets. Users using a combination of two sets may keep this limitation in mind.

Concepts and definitions

The term "price received by farmers" in the present series refers to the national average prices of individual commodities comprising all grades, kinds and varieties received by farmers when they participate in their capacity as sellers of their own products at the farm gate or first-point-of-sale. In actual practice it has been noted that (a) data might not always refer to the same selling points depending on the prevailing institutional set-up in the countries, (b) different practices prevail in regard to sale of individual commodities, (c) methods of arriving at national averages also differ from one country to another, and (d) as many countries do not collect producer prices, unit values used in the compilation of national accounts aggregates has been taken as the nearest approximation. In few cases, countries supplied wholesale prices. Such exceptions, wherever available, are documented in the country notes. A comparison of data among countries therefore should be considered with these limitations in mind.

Data sources

Most of the data originated from country sources received through the FAO Questionnaire on prices received by farmers. In some cases data was supplemented with official country publications and institutional databases. For the purpose of compiling base year international dollars prices used in weighting diagram for index number of agricultural production and other derived statistics, official data has been complemented by FAO estimates to cover major (important) agricultural products.

Commodity/Country list

Prices are collected for primary crops livestock products and live animals. The full list is made of 229 items, 198 of which enter the calculation of the production index numbers.

Prices of livestock are given in terms of biological meat (live weight) and of indigenous meat (carcass weight). For further details of the commodity list users are requested to consult domain on agricultural production ( http://www.fao.org/waicent/faostat/agricult/prod-e.htm ) or the publication entitled “Livestock Statistics – Concepts, Definitions and Classification” available at Statistics Division web site (http://www.fao.org/es/ess/rmlive.asp ).

As a general rule, data relate to the country specified with its present de facto boundaries. Country names and continental groupings follow, in general, the nomenclature used by the Statistical Division of the United Nations.

Price data

Units: Prices are shown in local currency per metric ton of the commodity. Wherever data are not available in standard unit, country-specific technical conversion factors available at the Statistics Division home page (http://www.fao.org/es/ess/tcp.asp ) have been used to convert the data.

Currencies: Data have been expressed in the local currency prevailing in the current year. Thus currency changes can be observed as breaks in the series (e.g. Ecuador in 2000, Argentina in 1992, etc.). Detailed information on currency names and currency changes is available in the Currency Note.

Codes: Definition of symbols used in the tables is given below:

*	=	Unofficial figure
OM	=	Data not available
F	=	Estimated value, whether derived from the actual price of the primary product (e.g. meat price as a function of live weight prices) or estimated using exogenous information.
MT	=	Metric ton
NES	=	Not elsewhere specified or included
LCU	=	Local currency unit

It is recommended that the data may be extracted with the FAO codes, in order to distinguish official data from estimates.

Time reference: The time reference for statistics on producer prices is the calendar year. That is to say, the data for any particular crop are reported under the calendar year in which the entire harvest or the bulk of it took place. However, a few countries provide data using “agriculture year” as the base. No adjustments have been in such cases and the data received has been reported as such. Such details, wherever available, have been documented in the country notes.

Acknowledgements

The compilation of this database has been made possible by the cooperation of governments, which have supplied most of the information in the form of replies to annual FAO questionnaires. FAO has continued to collaborate with various agencies in order to achieve conformity in the presentation of international figures. The Statistics Division wishes to thank all Governments for their co-operation in supplying data and hopes to expand and improve the coverage in future issues of this document. Any suggestions from the users are welcome.

Country notes for the FAOSTAT domain on producer prices, 2004 up-date

Algeria:

Wheat: hard wheat administered prices

Barley, Oats: administered prices

Dates: dried dates, nour variety

Sheep meat: Lambs

Argentina:

All prices are wholesale prices.

Austria:

Prices of Hops, Tobacco, Wool and Biological Horse Meat are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Wheat: Soft wheat

Cabbage: Savoy cabbage

Cucumbers and gherkins: representative variety has been changed into “Cucumbers grown in the open”

Currents: Black currents

Azerbaijan:

Price concept used: selling price of State farms.

Australia:

Grapes: wine grapes only

Bangladesh: Prices refer to crop year and not the calendar year. E.g. 1999 prices refer to the 1998/1999 crop year.

Belgium-Luxembourg:

Tobacco: prices do not include direct subsidies on the product, as per the countrie’s new method.

Bolivia:

Lemons and Limes: Prices of Limes only

Bhutan:        

Meat nes: Yak meat

Brazil :

Brazil changed currency twice in the period 1991-2001.

National producer prices compiled by the IVG are available for the following commodities: Wheat, Rice, Maize, Potatoes, Cassava, Sugar Cane, Dry Beans, Soybeans, Groundnuts in Shell, Castor Beans, Seedcotton, Tomatoes, Onions, Garlic, Oranges, Grapes, Coffee, Cocoa, Jute, Ramie, Sisal, Cow Milk, Cattle Meat, Hen eggs, Chicken Meat

Unit values have been derived from the IBGE Statistical yearbook for all other commodities.

Nuts nes: Pinhão (Pine Nut)

Rapeseed: Canola

Tea: green leaves

Mate: green leaves

Jute-Like Fibres: Malva

Eggs, other then Hen eggs: Quail eggs

Natural Rubber: liquid latex

Natural Gums: Sorva

Bulgaria:

Pimento, All spices: Price of Herbs

Essential Oils: Rose Oil

Cattle Live Weight: Price of Beef cattle and Buffaloes up to 2000, from 2001 only cattle

Buffalo Live Weight: Price of Beef cattle and Buffaloes up to 2000, from 2001 only buffalo

Sheep Live Weight: Price of Sheep and Goats up to 1999, from 2000 only sheep

Goat Live Weight: Price of Sheep and Goats up to 1999, from 2000 only goats

Burundi:

Vegetables fresh nes: Cassava leaves

Coffee, green: Robusta only

Cambodia: All prices are wholesale prices.

Cameroun :

Roots and tubers nes: taro and « chou caraïbe « (local name for taro).

Canada:

Buckwheat: prices refer to crop years instead of calendar years

Canary Seeds: prices refer to crop years instead of calendar years; prices prior to 1998 are estimates based on farmers’ cash receipts.

Broad beans, dry: prices refer to crop years instead of calendar years

Linseed: prices refer to crop years instead of calendar years.

Honey: prices are unit values

Sheep meat and live weight: price of sheep only, excluding lambs

Chile:

All data are wholesale prices.

China:

Jute-like fibres: Kenaf fibre

Colombia

Price of Wheat, Maize, Barley, Rice, Sorghum, Dry beans, Sesame seed, Soya Beans are support prices.

Prices of Potatoes, Cassava, Cabbages, Lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes, Cauliflower, Pumpkins, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Sweet peppers, Onions, Carrots, Plantains, Bananas, Cassava and Potatoes are wholesale prices.

Price of green coffee is average domestic price.

Congo Democratic Republic:

No agriculture price data are available from this country at present.

Congo (Republic of):

Semi-official data are unit values derived from the tables on the values of agriculture production in the “L’Economie congolaise”, from the Centre National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques.

Czech Republic:

Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993.

Flax: price refers to Flax Straw, retted

Barley: Malting barley

Croatia:

Croatia declared its independence in 1991. Price data are available from 1994 onwards because of the war that started in 1991 and subsequent hyper-inflation. Data were compiled and made regularly available after the introduction of the new currency, the Kuna, which took place in 1994.

All data are unit values.

Mixed grain: including sorghum, millet, buckwheat and other cereals.

Oranges and mandarins:  from 1994 until 1997 oranges and mandarins we collected together.

Watermelons: including musk melons

Ecuador:

Maize: Commodity definition was changed. Prices from 1991 onwards refer to Maize for human consumption.

Berries nes: Blackberries

Hen Eggs: Price per ton of average size eggs (51 to 55 gr each).

El Salvador:

Coffee, green: source used is International Coffee Organization from 1993 onwards.

Estonia: All prices are expressed in Krooni, even prior to 1992.

Cattle Live Weight: Price of Cattle for Slaughter

Pig Live Weight:  Price of Pigs for Slaughter

Chicken Live Weight:  Price of Chicken for Slaughter

Eritrea: In 1993 Ethiopia PDR split into Ethiopia and Eritrea. Prices of 1991 and 1992 of Ethiopia PDR can be found under country code 62. Prices of crops, milk and eggs are consumer prices.

Ethiopia: In 1993 Ethiopia PDR split into Ethiopia and Eritrea. Prices of 1991 and 1992 of Ethiopia PDR can be found under country code 62. No price data collection took place in 1993 so all prices are estimated for that year. 1994 prices are averages of four months only.

France: Data source: from 1991 to 1997, questionnaire sent to FAO by the Statistics Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. From 1998 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Prices of Paddy Rice, Walnuts, Hazelnuts (Filberts), Soybeans, Mustard Seeds, Olives, Cabbages, Artichokes, Lettuce, Green Chillies and Peppers are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Germany: Data source: from 1991 to 1998, questionnaire sent to FAO by the Statistics Office. From 1999 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Prices of Wheat, Barley, Maize, Rye, Oats, Sugar Beets, Rapeseed, Hops, Tobacco Leaves, Cow Milk, Biological Cattle Meat, Wool, Biological Sheep Meat, Biological Pig Meat and Hen Eggs are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Greece: Data source: from 1991 to 1996, questionnaire sent to FAO by the National Statistics Service. From 1997 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Hungary:

Apples: mainly apples for industrial use

Pimento: Hungarian red spice and paprika

Indonesia:

Livestock prices are retail prices except milk that is a farm-gate price.

Israel:

All prices are unit values

Nuts nes: Pecan nuts

Tomatoes: for fresh market only

Kenya:

Cereal prices are wholesale prices except maize (producer price).

Coffee and tea prices are auction prices.

Korea, Republic:

Rice: native variety

Pulses nes : Bean sprout (soybean)

Tea nes: Fresh Ginseng

Latvia:

Latvia became independent from the USSR in 1991. Prices are available from 1992 onwards.

Lithuania:

Prices of 1991 are expressed in Roubles, prices of 1992 are expressed in Talonas, from 1993 onwards prices are expressed in Litai.

Macedonia:

Macedonia declared its independence in November 1991. Price data were collected from 1992 onwards.

Mali:

Pulses nes: sugar pea

Mauritius:

Sugar cane: prices paid to planters

Prices of Sweet potatoes, Cassava, Taro, pineapples and of all vegetables - except onions, garlic and carrots - are wholesale prices.

Mexico:

Walnuts: Nuez de Castilla

Nuts nes: Macadamia nuts

Coffee: price of coffee berry

Moldova:

Sunflower seeds: oil-bearing crops prices

Nepal:

All prices are consumer prices. Prices refer to crop year and not the calendar year. E.g. 1998 prices refer to the 1997/1998 crop year.

Livestock prices: price data collected in local markets. No producer prices of livestock are collected in the country.

Eggs, excluding Hen: Duck eggs

Netherlands:

Prices of Maize, Biological Goat Meat and Biological Horse Meat are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Nicaragua:

Coffee, green: used source is International Coffee Organization database.

Pakistan:

All data are wholesale prices.

Paraguay:

Geese: guinea fowl

Peru:

Seedcotton: raw cotton or “algodón en rama”

Cucumbers and Gherkins: cucumbers only

Lemons and Limes: Lemons only

Other Camel meat and live weight prices: Alpaca only

Philippines:

Maize: yellow maize

Beans, dry: Mungo, green

Bananas: Latundan variety only

Citrus fruit nes: calamondin or calamansi

Tropical fruits nes: Jackfruit

Coffee, green: dry beans

Natural rubber: coagulated

Portugal:

Data source: from 1991 to 1997, questionnaire sent to FAO by the Statistics Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. From 1998 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Wheat: price of soft wheat.

Cattle Live Weight: price of Calves Live Weight

Sheep Live Weight: Price of Fattening Lambs Live Weight

Turkey Indigenous Meat: Price of Turkey-cocks Dead Weight

Qatar:

All data are average wholesale prices

Russian Federation:

Apples, Pears, Quinces: Prices of Seed Fruit

Apricots, Sour Cherries, Cherries, Peaches, Plums: Prices of Stone Fruit

Strawberries, Raspberries, Gooseberries, Currants: Prices of Berries

Indigenous Sheep Meat, Indigenous Goat Meat: Price of Sheep and Goat

Rwanda:

Prices are rural market prices.

Prices of 1994 are entirely estimated.

Slovakia:

Czechoslovakia split into Czech Republic and Slovakia in January 1993. Prices are available from 1993 onwards.

Cabbages: price of White Cabbage, Quality I

Cucumbers and Gherkins: Cucumbers only

Grapes: price of Cider Grapes

Melons: price of Roth Melon

Cattle meat: Price of Bulls for slaughter

Sheep meat: price of Fattened lambs for slaughter

Pig meat: price of Pigs for slaughter

Slovenia:

Slovenia became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991. Prices are available from 1991 onwards.

South Africa

Fruits and Vegetables: average prices of sales on the sixteen major fresh produce markets

Pumpkins, Squash and Gourds: Pumpkins only

Cherries, Berries nes: Unit values

Spain:

Data source: from 1991 to 1998, questionnaire sent to FAO by the country. From 1999 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Wheat: price of soft wheat

Cattle Live Weight: price of Young Cattle live weight

Sheep Live Weight: Price of Fattening Lambs Live Weight

Horse Live Weight: Estimated with Equine Meat Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Ass Live Weight: Estimated with Equine Meat Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Mule Live Weight: Estimated with Equine Meat Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Turkey Indigenous Meat: Price of Turkey-cocks Dead Weight

Sudan:

Price data are wholesale prices.

Tea nes: Kerkadih or Karkadé

Cotton Lint: ICCO prices of Barakat cotton

Natural Gums: Arabic Gum (acacia senigal)

Sweden:

Prices of Honey and Wool are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Syria:

Wheat, Barley, Maize, Sugar Beets: Producer Prices

All other price data are consumer prices.

Cotton lint: ICCO prices from 1997 onwards

Thailand:

Dry beans: Mung beans

Tobacco: Virginia, cured

Togo:

Bambara bean: voandzou (local name)

Turkmenistan

Price data are available only from 1997 onwards.

Trinidad and Tobago:

Yautia: Tannia

Taro (coco yam): price of dasheen (local variety of taro).

Green beans: bodi

Coffee, green: source International Coffee Organization database

Cow milk: price paid by major purchasers.

Uganda:

No agriculture price data are available from this country at present.

United Kingdom:

Data source: from 1991 to 1996, questionnaire sent to FAO by the country. From 1997 to 2001, producer prices as published by Eurostat.

Prices of 15 commodities (Rye, Triticale, Raspberries, Gooseberries, Currants, Berries nes, Indigenous Cattle Meat, Indigenous Sheep Meat, Indigenous Duck Meat, Indigenous Geese Meat, Indigenous Turkey Meat, Indigenous Chicken Meat, Indigenous Horse Meat, Indigenous Pigmeat and Honey) are based on Unit Value from the Economic Accounts of Agriculture.

Uruguay:

Prices of Fruits, Vegetables, Potatoes and Cow Milk are wholesale prices.

All other data are producer prices.

USA:

Millet: Proso Millet

Peas, dry: Field peas

Green beans: Lima beans

String beans: Snap beans

Nuts nes: Pecan nuts

Fruits and Vegetables: prices for Fresh Market

Lemons and Limes: price of lemons only

Sour cherries: Tart cherries

Berries nes: Boysenberries

Essential Oils: Peppermint oil

Chicken Live Weight: Broilers

Currency Table
This table completes the information on producer prices in local currency. It reports, for each country, currency names and ISO currency codes for the period 1991-2002.
The user can track in which currency prices are labelled every year through the "First year" and "Last year" columns; and use the conversion rates to compare prices of
a given year in an old currency with the prices of another year expressed in a different (new) currency.
FAO Country Code	Country Name	ISO currency code	Currency Name	First year into FAOSTAT	Last year into FAOSTAT	Conversion rates	Conversion rates between the old and the new currency	Comments
4	Algeria	DZD	Dinar	1991	present
9	Argentina	ARS	Argentine Peso	1992	present	10000	1 ARS= 10 000 Australes	The fixed rate of the Peso pegged to the US dollar was abandoned in January 2002; Peso now floats.
		not available	Austral	1985	1991	1000	1 Austral = 1000 (old) Pesos Argentinos
1	Armenia	AMD	Armenian Dram	1994	present	200	1 AMD= 200 RUR	Armenia became independent from the USSR in 1991. Prices until 1993 are expressed in Roubles (RUR). A new currency, the Dram (AMD) was officially introduced on 22 November 1993 at the rate of 1 AMD = 200 RUR. Prices from 1994 onwards are in Dram.
		RUR	Rouble	1991	1993
11	Austria	EUR	Euro	2002	present	13.7603	1 EUR = 13.7603 ATS	Eleven European Union countries including Austria (later to become twelve) irrevocably established on 1st January 1999  the conversion rates between their respective national currencies and the euro and created a monetary union with a single currency, giving birth to the euro. Euro banknotes entered circulation on 1st January 2002.
		ATS	Shilling	1991	2001
10	Australia	AUD	Australian Dollar	1991	present
52	Azerbaijan	AZM	Azerbaijanian Manat	1993	present	1	1 AZM = 1 RUR	The Manat was introduced in 1992 as a parallel coupon to the Rouble. It became the official currency and was linked to the US$ in August 1993, the rates between the Manat and the Rouble started diverging since then. In December 1993 the exchange rate had reached 1 AZM = 10 RUR
		RUR	Rouble	1991	1992			Azerbaijan became independent from the USSR in 1991. Prices until 1992 are expressed in Roubles (RUR)
16	Bangladesh	BDT	Taka	1991	present
14	Barbados	BBD	Barbados Dollar	1991	present
255	Belgium	EUR	Euro	2002	present	40.3399	1 EUR = 40.3399 BEF	same note as Austria on the introduction of the Euro
		BEF	Belgian Franc	1991	2001
15	Belgium-Luxembourg	EUR	Euro	2002	present	40.3399	1 EUR = 40.3399 BEF	same note as Austria on the introduction of the Euro
		BEF	Belgian Franc	1991	2001
23	Belize	BZD	Belize Dollar	1991	present
18	Bhutan	BTN	Ngultrum	1991	present
19	Bolivia	BOB	Boliviano	1991	present
21	Brazil	BRL	Brazilian Real	1994	present	2750	1 BRL=2750 BRR	The Real was introduced on 1 July 1994
		BRR	Cruzeiro Real	1993	1993	1000	1BRR=1000 BRE	The Cruzeiro Real was introduced on 1 August 1993
		BRE	Cruzeiro	1990</