The Acting Minister of Finance, Sara Lobo Brites, accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pedro Reis, and the FAO representative in Timor-Leste, Dagen Liu, proceeded with the launch of the “2019 Agricultural Census Report” at the Xanana Gusmão Auditorium, at the Ministry of Finance, on November 10th, 2020. This is the first agricultural census conducted since the independence of Timor-Leste. The “Timor-Leste 2019 Agricultural Census” is an important document whose main conclusions will be used by the Government, development partners and the private sector to formulate evidence-based policies for the development of the agricultural sector, which is one of the most important sectors for the development of the country’s economy.
The Acting Minister of Finance said, in her speech, that “the Government is committed in promoting evidence-based policies and, in this sense, the Agricultural Census will complement the Family Census, to be carried out in 2021, and the Timor-Leste Life Standards Survey, to be held in 2022”.
Also participated in the ceremony the Statistics General Director, Elias dos Santos Ferreira, the Statistics National Director, Silvino Lopes, representatives of UN agencies, including FAO, who provided technical assistance to members of the Technical Commission, and representatives of religious groups and the civil society.