11th Agriculture Census fieldwork completed, says Centre
New Delhi, July 21 (TNT): The fieldwork and data collection for all three phases of the 11th Agriculture Census, with 2021-22 as the reference year, have been completed within the stipulated timeframe, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply, said the Agriculture Census is conducted every five years in collaboration with States and Union Territories.
He said the Census is carried out in three phases.
During the first phase, data on the primary characteristics of agricultural holdings and the area operated are collected through complete enumeration.
The second phase gathers information on cropping patterns, irrigation status and other characteristics from 20 per cent of randomly selected sample villages in each tehsil, while the third phase collects data on input-use patterns from seven per cent of randomly selected villages, he said.
The Minister said the Agriculture Census provides a reliable database on the socio-economic profile of operational landholders and serves as an important tool for formulating agricultural policies.
The Census provides information on the number, size and distribution of operational holdings, including marginal, small, semi-medium, medium and large holdings, besides data on tenancy, consolidation of holdings and land distribution.
The information is used for planning land utilisation, irrigation development, crop diversification, farm mechanisation and other agricultural interventions.
The Census also provides data on women-operated landholdings to support gender-focused agricultural programmes and helps the government in targeted allocation of subsidies, institutional credit and rural development schemes, besides serving as a key source of information for researchers, planners and policymakers, the Minister informed in the Lok Sabha.
TNT TS
