Tonga Releases First Agricultural Census Report In 14 Years
FAO supported report focuses on food security
Food Security for Tonga is at the heart of the new 'Tonga 2015 National Agricultural Census' report that was released in April in Nuku’alofa, Tonga.
The project to compile a National Agricultural Census report for Tonga was initiated in 2014 and funded by FAO.
The report covers fisheries, agriculture, forestry, food and livestock and is made up of two books. The main larger report outlines the structure of the agriculture sector, along with the small 46-page 2015 Tonga National Agricultural Census Thematic Report.
Paumolevuka Likiliki, represented FAO at the launching ceremony.
Paumolevuka invited government officials and the private sector to study the documents, and stressed that "Food Security for Tonga is the heart of the report."
The report reveals that even though agriculture continues to be Tonga's predominant economic activity, its contribution to Tonga’s Gross Domestic Product has dwindled in recent years. It declined from 26% in 2004/5 to about 19% in 2009/10, then declined further to 18% in 2013/14.
In the Thematic Report there are five chapters on Cropping, Livestock, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Agriculture and Rural Development, and Women in the Agriculture Sector. In line with FAO definitions, the agriculture sector includes five main sub-sectors; cropping, livestock, fisheries, forestry, and handicrafts.
Manaia Halafihi, the project coordinator said that the 2015 Tonga National Agricultural Census is Tonga’s first since 2001, and there has been a lack of reliable statistics for government planners and policy makers.
The report is a joint effort of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries, Tonga Statistics Department, Good and Agriculture Organization and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.