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EXPLANATORY NOTES


INTRODUCTION

1 This publication presents preliminary estimates of the Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced (VACP) for the 2012-13 financial year and comparative data for the previous two years. The preliminary estimates are based on data collected in the 2012-13 Rural Environment and Agricultural Commodities Survey (REACS).

2 The REACS will be conducted annually in the years between the five-yearly Agricultural Census.

3 The full range of VACP estimates from the 2012-13 REACS will be published in Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced, Australia (cat. no. 7503.0) in 2014.

4 Estimates for rice, sugar cane cut for crushing, apples, grapes, hay, potatoes and tomatoes have not been included in the preliminary release, but will be available when final data are released in 2014. For the 2012-13 REACS, lupins were not collected separately and will be published as part of ‘other pulses’. To enable data comparability between the 2012-13 period and the previous two years, only like items have been published in this preliminary release. As a result, 'Total crops' and 'Total agriculture' figures for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 periods in this publication will differ from those previously published.

5 The value estimates in this publication are derived by the multiplication of price and quantity of production estimates of agricultural commodities.

6 Price data refers to the average unit value of a given commodity realised in the market place. Price information is obtained from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) collections, as well as from non-ABS sources, including marketing authorities and industry sources.

7 The production statistics used in deriving the preliminary value estimates for 2012-13 and estimates for 2010-11 and 2011-12 relate to the years ended 30 June. Estimates for 2012-13 are preliminary and may be subject to revision.


GENERAL

8 Where figures for individual states or territories have been suppressed for reasons of confidentiality, they have been included in relevant totals.

9 Where figures have been rounded, discrepancies may occur between sums of the component items and totals.

10 The method of collection of relevant prices and the costs of marketing for agricultural commodities varies considerably between states/territories and between commodities. Where a statutory authority handles marketing of the whole or a portion of a product, data are usually obtained from this source. Information is also obtained from marketing reports, wholesalers, brokers and auctioneers. For all commodities, values are in respect of production during the year (or season) irrespective of when payments are made. For that portion of production not marketed, estimates are made from the best available information and, in general, are calculated on a local value basis. For more information on VACP calculation methods, refer to the Main Features chapter ‘VACP Explained’ in this product.


SAMPLE ERROR

11 The estimates in this publication are based on information obtained from a sample drawn from the total agricultural business population in scope of the collection, and are subject to sampling variability; that is, they may differ from the figures that would have been produced if all businesses had been included in the survey.

12 One measure of the likely difference is given by the standard error (SE) which indicates the extent to which an estimate might have varied by chance because only a sample was taken or received. There are about two chances in three that a ‘sample’ estimate will differ by less than one SE from the figure that would have been obtained if all establishments had responded or been reported for, and about nineteen chances in twenty that the difference will be less than two SEs.

13 In this publication, ‘sampling’ variability of the estimates is measured by the relative standard error (RSE) which is obtained by expressing the SE as a percentage of the estimate to which it refers. Most published estimates have RSEs less than 10%. For some states with limited production of certain commodities, RSEs are greater than 10%. Estimates that have an estimated relative standard error between 10% and 25% should be used with caution as they are subject to sampling variability too high for some purposes. Estimates with an RSE between 25% and 50% should also be used with caution as they are subject to sampling variability too high for most practical purposes. Estimates with an RSE greater than 50% indicate that the sampling variability causes the estimates to be considered too unreliable for general use. Separate indication of the RSEs of all estimates is available on request.

14 A table with RSEs for selected estimates of gross values follows:

RELATIVE STANDARD ERRORS, Gross values of selected commodities - Year ended 30 June 2013
	Aust.	NSW	Vic.	Qld	SA	WA	Tas.	NT	ACT
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Barley	1.9	4.7	3.7	12.4	4.1	3.3	5.2	-	-
Wheat	1.3	2.7	3.6	7.3	3.0	2.8	6.3	-	-
Canola	3.1	4.3	9.9	54.7	6.6	4.9	19.4	-	-
Cotton	4.0	4.6	-	6.9	-	-	-	-	-
Total livestock and other disposals	1.4	2.2	3.4	2.9	2.7	1.7	5.1	1.9	2.1
Total livestock products	2.4	3.2	4.5	7.4	3.6	2.1	6.6	10.2	1.1
- nil or rounded to zero (including null cells)