Institutional Units and Agricultural Statistics

Hitherto the basic units of agricultural statistics have been fictional (the holding and the Local KAU). The case is made that for many purposes basing economic statistics on the institutional units that undertake production - household-firms and corporations - would bring substantial advantages in terms of improving quality, easier interpretation and greater policy relevance. In particular, accounts drawn up for household-firms and companies should be constructed to complement the traditional activity accounts at aggregate and microeconomic levels. Implications for data systems are discussed.