While major progress has been made in crop cutting and data processing, overall survey improvements need additional work for sampling frame formulation, sampling method, individual data evaluation and editing, evaluation of summary data, etc. We need to realize a balanced system of improved surveys.
OAE is requested to ensure that the survey results based on the improved methods be properly reflected in formally announced statistics. Our two-year experience tells us the crop cutting yields are generally higher than the corresponding data announced by OAE. We need to evaluate the present OAE data for their accuracy and reliability and fine the way to make them acceptable to the public.
In many cases, the production data are not published as scheduled. It may be because the staffs in charge are too busy to complete the data in time and/ or because reconciling the survey data with relevant information available from other sources takes long time. However, announcement of the data as scheduled is of vital importance in order to gain trust from the users of the data. Therefore, OAE has to find a way to maintain on-schedule announcement of the data.
Presently, nearly 10 counterparts have acquired high levels of technology and planning capability. From now on, it is necessary to let the younger generation to upgrade their capacities so that CAI may continue its development in the future. Recently, a few additional have been found by the project and the project may put emphasis on these persons.
For statistical surveys to be conducted in accurate and timely manner, it is vitally important that ROAE staffs fully understand survey objectives and methods and they are capable of guiding/supervising hired enumerators. While the ROAE training programs on crop cutting by the project contributed to improve their staff’s teaching/ guiding capacity towards SKT, their capability is still insufficient. It is necessary to further strengthen their capacities through project activities, including the Training for Capacity Building for Statistics and Information.
OAE is encouraged to study the means of disseminating improved technology developed in Thailand. The Project will initiate a few initiatives towards this direction. Firstly, Lao PDR intends to conduct training on paddy crop cutting under JICA scheme. The project and JICA Thailand is presently discussing possibility of sending Thai counterparts to Lao to help their training. Secondly, the project plans to organize an International Workshop on Economic Analysis, including Input-Output Analysis, Macro-economic Analysis and Commodity Models in December this year, inviting participants from ASEAN+3 countries. It will be desirable to develop a comprehensive JICA scheme of disseminating the output of our project.
