STATISTICS ON AGRICULTURAL INPUT PRICES IN LATVIA: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR MODERNIZATION

The development, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and revision of the EU policies on agriculture, including environmental and the common agricultural policy, plant protection, sustainable use of fertilizers, pesticides and veterinary drugs, requires comprehensive and reliable statistical knowledge. The introduction of Regulation (EU) 2022/2379 on agricultural input and output statistics poses a challenge as it brings significant changes to the system in Latvia by not only broadening the range of inputs and introducing new distinct sub-categories, but also raising standards for data quality. Based on document analysis and information obtained from interviews with the representatives of the producers of agricultural statistics in the Nordic countries and neighbouring Baltic States as well as governmental agencies and industry experts in Latvia, the paper aims to explore avenues for improving the efficiency of data collection process and fulfilling new requirements imposed by the Regulation 2022/2379, examine some major obstacles to reducing administrative burden in Latvia and associated risks such as failure to provide accurate, complete and timely statistical data for formulating evidence-based policies on agriculture and sustainable development. The paper shows that unique peculiarities of national context might act as a barrier to the solutions suggested by academic literature, supported by policy documents and widely used in other countries.