The Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) is reassuring farmers that information collected for the 2007 agriculture census will be kept confidential.

Valerie Nam, director of censuses, demography and social statistics at STATIN, pointed that all employees are forbidden to disclose any information gathered for the census by the Statistics Act.

She said "all persons who work as interviewers have to take an oath of secrecy and that is something we pay special attention to."

Mrs. Nam explained that the identities of individuals would not disclosed when the data is collated and published. The census is expected to be completed in July.