Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
The collected statistics for the country cover the following data:
Certified registered organic operators (referring to their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of operators)
Certified registered organic processors who manufacture organic products (as their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of processors)
Certified organic crop area (under conversion and fully converted) (expressed in hectares)
Certified organic crop production from fully converted area (expressed in 1 000 kg)
Certified organic livestock (expressed in heads of live animals)
Production of certified organic products of animalorigin (expressed in 1 000 kg of carcass weight and in thousand eggs)
Production of certified organic milk products (Produced on farms or Processed on farms or by dairy enterprises) and Honey and products of bee-keeping (expressed in 1 000 kg of products obtained)
Certified organic aquaculture sold by producers (expressed in 1 000 kg live weight)
Certified registered organic operators (referring to their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of operators)
Certified registered organic processors who manufacture organic products (as their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of processors)
Certified organic croparea (under conversion and fully converted) (expressed in hectares)
Certified organic cropproduction from fully converted area (expressed in 1 000 kg)
Certified organic livestock (expressed in heads of live animals)
Production of certified organic products of animal origin (expressed in 1 000 kg of carcass weight and in thousand eggs)
Production of certified organic milk products (Produced on farms or Processed on farms or by dairy enterprises) and Honey and products of bee-keeping (expressed in 1 000 kg of products obtained)
Certified organic aquaculture sold by producers (expressed in 1 000 kg live weight)
Calendar year
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
- The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 018/12 and 047/19) defines provisions for collection, processing and dissemination of data. The Law provides to the Statistical Office legal powers to collect and access the data necessary for the implementation of Programme and Annual Plan. The Law gives a priority to the use of administrative data and right of access to individual data that are a result of survey of other official statistical producers.
- The Law on Organic Production (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 56/2013).
- REGULATION (EU) 2018/848 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 30 May 2018 on organic production and labelling of organic products and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 834/2007
- As a bridge between the previous and new legislation until the adoption of the SAIO regulation, the ESS Agreement on organic production statistics, approved by the ESSC on February 12, 2020, entered into force on January 1, 2022. The agreement covers the annual collection of statistical data on organic production, previously established in accordance with Council Regulation (EC) no. 834/2007.
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Administrative data source is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management (Directorate of Agriculture), which previously received the data from tne certification body ``Monteorganica``, in accordance with the Law on Organic Production (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 56/2013). Statistical Office has signed several Memoranda on cooperation with administrative data providers (with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management in June 2013).
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
The privacy of data providers, the confidentiality of the information they provide and its use only for statistical purposes must be absolutely guaranteed the Law on Official Statistics and System of Official Statistics (Chapter XIII CONFIDENTIALITY AND PROTECTION OF DATA FOR NEEDS OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS).
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Provisions the Law on Official Statistics and System of Official Statistics shall refer to data provided by reporting units, but also to data collected from other sources for needs of official statistics from the moment of their delivery to official statistics producers.
Data collected, processed, and stored for purpose of official statistics shall be considered confidential if they allow reporting units to be identified, either directly or indirectly. Individual data may be used only for statistical purposes and presented in cumulative (aggregated) form, in accordance with provisions of this Law. Statistical Office of Montenegro may provide, upon written request, individual statistical data, without identifiers, to scientific-research institutions for purpose of carrying out scientific and research activities as well as to international statistical organizations and statistics producers from other countries.
Official statistics producers shall be obliged to take all measures of administrative, technical or organizational nature required for protection of confidential data against illegal access, disclosure or use.
Aggregated data for which there are reasons for confidentiality (due to a small number of units, rules of indirect identification), are treated and considered as confidential and therefore not published. Data for the use of which reporting units gave the explicit approval shall not be considered confidential.
8.1. Release calendar
The Statistical Release Calendar is the schedule of publishing the results of official statistics during one year. It is prepared by the Statistical Office in cooperation with the other producers of official statistics in accordance with Article 50 of the Law on Official Statistics and the Official Statistics System ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", No. 018/12 and 047/19).It is published on the website of the Statistical Office.
Based on the Statistical Release Calendar, users are informed in advance of the release dates on which the producers of official statistics have committed to publish statistics.
It is published on the website of Statistical Office not later than 20 December for the next year, for all official statistical producers that includes date of releasing statistical data. Any change in date of releasing in the Calendar is published in advance in accordance with the Procedure on Unplanned Revisions.
The data is published once a year and has been available on the Montenegrin Statistical office website since June 30.
The survey on organic production statistics is included for the first time as a regular survey for 2022 in the Annual Plan of Official Statistics (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 2/2022 of January 12, 2022). In March 2023, the Statistical Office published the final data for the data series for the period 2016-2020, which were previously submitted to Eurostat as preliminary and protected. Data for 2022 were submitted to Eurostat in June of this year.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Data are published according to a realase calendar and are available at the same time to all users on the official website on MONSTAT.
The data is not published through a press release, but only through the Excel table on the official website.
Also, the data are available in the Statistical Yearbook of the Statistical Office of Montenegro.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
All publications published by the Statistical Office are available at the following link: Statistical Office of Montenegro - MONSTAT; https://www.monstat.org/eng/publikacije.php?id=100 .
The Law on Official Statistics and Official Statistical System (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 018/12 and 047/19), Article 58. regulates rules under which external users can obtain an access to individual data for needs of research.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
The required tables are prepared for the needs of Eurostat, while other users use the tables from the website in Monstat (table format from the website).
The Statistical Office has adopted the Quality Management Strategy, the Guidebook to the Implementation of the Quality Management Strategy, as well as the Plan for the Implementation of the Quality Policy.
The Quality Management System of the Statistical Office relies on the European Statistics Code of Practice and the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM), which symbolize a common framework for the quality of the European Statistical System. The Statistical Office has adopted the Quality Management Strategy, the Guidebook to the Implementation of the Quality Management Strategy, as well as the Plan for the Implementation of the Quality Policy. The 2020-2023 Quality Management Strategy is the second strategy which is prepared for the Montenegro official statistical system and it represents a strategic, development document in domain of quality in the statistical system of Montenegro. At regular meetings of the Working Group, where representatives of all institutions (statistics, ministry and control body) are included, quality assurance procedures are discussed.
- Ministries and other public administration bodies;
- Local government and other local government bodies;
- Non-governmental organizations;
- Students;
- Researchers;
- Media
Internal users are generally satisfied with the quality of the data.
No external user satisfaction feedback.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
The Statistical Office has adopted the Quality Management Strategy, the Guidebook to the Implementation of the Quality Management Strategy, as well as the Plan for the Implementation of the Quality Policy. In order to measure the degree to which fulfills obligations towards users and within the new quality policy, the Statistical Office conducted User satisfaction survey. The results of the survey are available on the Statistical Office website, link:Izvještaj o zadovoljstvu korisnika uslugama uprave za statistiku u 2022. godini (monstat.org)
The data is sent in full compliance with the applicable European Commission Regulations. Data are reported according to the type of operator, according to the type of agricultural area and distribution by crops and data are also reported according to the types of livestock according ESS Agreement on Organic Production Statistics. There is no certified organic aquaculture in Montenegro.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Data source is an administrative database and expected a good accuracy the data. The data cover all operators involved in the organic sector in Montenegro (producers, processors, importers, and others). Total sums are controlled with the sum of individual categories (through the LRK).
13.2. Sampling error
Administrative database is used and coverage is full. The organic production statistics data collection is not based on sample survey. Not applicable.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable.
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
No over-coverage rate
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable for organic production statistics as the data stem from one source. Only administrative data are used.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Ministry of Agriculture collects data in a electronic form. After MONSTAT get the data (in electronic form) from administrative sources check data with previous year.Total sums are controlled with the sum of individual categories.
13.3.3. Non response error
All organic operaters which are present in the Register of Organic Production Entities under the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management, are covered by this survey. Errors of non-response do not occur.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
All statistical units responded to the questionnaire, or reported data.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
All units participated and provided the requested data.
13.3.4. Processing error
Possible entry and calculation errors are controlled and corrected through the LK.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
See concepts below.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not aplicable
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
The data are due 120 days after the end of the reference year i.e. before 1st July each year.
14.2. Punctuality
See concepts below.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Everything was published on time. There is no time lag between the actual data submission and the target date. All data are published in accordance with the scheduled publication date.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Montenegro is on all three levels (NUTS 1,2,3). The data are comparable with other countries in the region and the EU because the questionnaire is harmonized.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
Data for organic production got from administrative source and they are comparable over time.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Data from the Organic Production Statistics are fully comparable over time and are available from 2016 to 2021 on the MONSTAT website in the Data section, link: https://www.monstat.org/eng/page.php?id=1799&pageid=1797 .
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Data from the Agricultural census in Montenegro are from 2010 and the annual crops and animal statistics can be used for cross-checking purposes. These data are also available in the relevant domains on Eurostat's website. There are some certain differences in concepts, surveys design and timing of the collections and can cause discrepancies in the data.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
The organic operaters are bound to send data on organic production to the certification body ``Monteorganica``,. Administrative data source is the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management (Directorate of Agriculture), which previously received the data from the certification body ``Monteorganica`` in accordance with the Law on Organic Production (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 56/2013). MONSTAT use the data for pesticides sales from the administrative sources and of this way reducing the burden on respondents. The data is administrative, so there are no costs.
17.1. Data revision - policy
In March 2023, the Statistical office of Montenegro- Monstat published the final data for the series of data for the period 2016-2020, which were previously submitted to Eurostat as preliminary and protected. The survey on organic production statistics was included for the first time as a regular for the year 2022 in the Annual Plan of Official Statistics ("Official Gazette of Montenegro", No. 2/2022 of 12.01.2022"), when data were published for the first time on Monstat website for 2021. Since then survey does not disseminate preliminary results and that's the reason why the regular data revision does not exist.
In 2022, data on organic production for the beginning of June 2021 was published on the official website of Monstat, and after that an unplanned audit was carried out after the validation of the data by Eurostat.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
The data is administrative.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Once a year until the end of June of the current year for the previous year.
18.3. Data collection
The data is collected by the certification body ``Monteorganica`` that supervise registered organic entities.
18.4. Data validation
MONSTAT check data from previous year and with administrative sources.
18.5. Data compilation
There is no imputation done.
18.5.1. Imputation - rate
There is no imputation done. Imputation is not carried out because all entities that have registered any form of organic agriculture are included.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable.
18.6.1. Seasonal adjustment
Not applicable.
The survey on organic production statistics is included for the first time as a regular survey for 2022 in the Annual Plan of Official Statistics .The data are submitted to Eurostat from 2022 as final for the period from 2016 to 2022. Statistical Office of Montenegro- Monstat prepared for the first time the Quality Report on the Organic production in 2023 , according to the Organic Production Statistics ESS Agreement and based on Eurostat Quality Reporting Guidelines.
The collected statistics for the country cover the following data:
Certified registered organic operators (referring to their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of operators)
Certified registered organic processors who manufacture organic products (as their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of processors)
Certified organic crop area (under conversion and fully converted) (expressed in hectares)
Certified organic crop production from fully converted area (expressed in 1 000 kg)
Certified organic livestock (expressed in heads of live animals)
Production of certified organic products of animalorigin (expressed in 1 000 kg of carcass weight and in thousand eggs)
Production of certified organic milk products (Produced on farms or Processed on farms or by dairy enterprises) and Honey and products of bee-keeping (expressed in 1 000 kg of products obtained)
Certified organic aquaculture sold by producers (expressed in 1 000 kg live weight)
Data source is an administrative database and expected a good accuracy the data. The data cover all operators involved in the organic sector in Montenegro (producers, processors, importers, and others). Total sums are controlled with the sum of individual categories (through the LRK).
Certified registered organic operators (referring to their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of operators)
Certified registered organic processors who manufacture organic products (as their main or secondary activity) (expressed in number of processors)
Certified organic croparea (under conversion and fully converted) (expressed in hectares)
Certified organic cropproduction from fully converted area (expressed in 1 000 kg)
Certified organic livestock (expressed in heads of live animals)
Production of certified organic products of animal origin (expressed in 1 000 kg of carcass weight and in thousand eggs)
Production of certified organic milk products (Produced on farms or Processed on farms or by dairy enterprises) and Honey and products of bee-keeping (expressed in 1 000 kg of products obtained)
Certified organic aquaculture sold by producers (expressed in 1 000 kg live weight)
There is no imputation done.
The data is administrative.
The data is published once a year and has been available on the Montenegrin Statistical office website since June 30.
The survey on organic production statistics is included for the first time as a regular survey for 2022 in the Annual Plan of Official Statistics (Official Gazette of Montenegro No 2/2022 of January 12, 2022). In March 2023, the Statistical Office published the final data for the data series for the period 2016-2020, which were previously submitted to Eurostat as preliminary and protected. Data for 2022 were submitted to Eurostat in June of this year.
See concepts below.
Montenegro is on all three levels (NUTS 1,2,3). The data are comparable with other countries in the region and the EU because the questionnaire is harmonized.
Data for organic production got from administrative source and they are comparable over time.
