Agricultural Finance Survey

NAME OF ORGANISATION
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS)

OVERVIEW
The Agricultural Finance Survey (AFS) is an annual survey with a population consisting of all economic units (management units) which are classified to subdivision 01 Agriculture of the Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) based on their principal activity and which had an estimated value of agricultural operations of $22,500 or more. Around 250 items of financial data are collected including income, expenses, debt, interest paid, asset acquisition and asset value. Data is produced at Australian and State level by industry classification.

PURPOSE
The prime objectives of the Agricultural Finance Survey (AFS) are to collect and publish financial statistics for individual agricultural industries and for the agricultural sector of the economy as a whole on a basis similar to other economic collections undertaken by the ABS. In particular, the AFS aims to provide data which can be used to assess and monitor the financial performance and viability of agricultural industries by State and for Australia.

SCOPE
All Agricultural Management Units in Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) Division 01, as recorded on the ABS business register, with an Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) of $22,500 or more.

DATA DETAIL

Conceptual framework
The AFS provides a measure of the financial activity for the Agricultural sector of the economy. The scope is all Management Units classified to the
Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) subdivision 01 with an Estimated Value of Agricultural Operations (EVAO) of $22,500 or above. The population is stratified by State, Industry and Size.

Main outputs
State x Industry financial estimates of totals, means and ratios, and number of live Management Units.

Classifications
State, Industry, size group.

Major financial aggregates include:

• Turnover
• Purchases and selected expenses
• Value added
• Adjusted value added
• Gross Operating Surplus
• Cash Operating Surplus
• Gross Indebtedness
• Net Indebtedness
• Value of Assets
• Net Worth

Comments and/or Other Regions
Data from the ACT is included with NSW, data from NT is included in the Australian total and not published separately.

COLLECTION FREQUENCY
Annually

Frequency comments
not applicable

COLLECTION HISTORY
1967-68 First full scale test for proposed Farm Expenditure survey.
1968-69 Pilot test by mail approximately 3000 holdings. No results released.
1970-71 Proceeds as well expenses collected.
1972-73 Sample increased to 6000
1973-74 Sample increased to 10,000
1976-77 All field interview approach adopted. Sample reduced to 3,500
1981-86 Discontinued
1986-87 Reintroduced
1989-90 Collection responsibility transferred to National Project Centre (NPC) in Hobart
1992-93 Estimates presented by Australian and New Zealand Standard Industrial Classification (ANZSIC) replacing Australian Standard Industry Classification (ASIC)
1993-94 Multi State apportionment methodology introduced. Sample size reduced to 2,600.
1999-2000 AFS will be suspended for 2000-2001, future data to be obtained from Australian Bureau of Agricultural Resource Economics (ABARE)

DATA AVAILABILITY
Yes