Kathmandu, Dec. 15 (RSS): The coverage of agricultural statistics in 2050 B.S. will be more or less same as that of 2048 B.S.
The data content of the census was based on the guidelines of Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in 1991/92 for the world census of agriculture programme.
The data collected were identification (holding and holder identification), general characteristics of land holdings, characteristics of farm households (age and sex of household members), farm labour, land and water resources, crop cultivation, livestock, farm buildings and structures, farm machinery, ancillary activities on farm holdings and agricultural credit.
The development of an agricultural census which takes a minimum of 18 months is very expensive.
Data from agricultural censuses can be useful for policy analysis and research studies on a wide range of issues including the role of women in agriculture, characteristics of a particular crop and problems faced by small farmers.
A two-day national seminar on “system of food and agricultural statistics in Nepal” began here today under the joint auspices of the Central Bureau of Statistics (cbs) and the fao with a view to assessing the activity concerning national food and agricultural statistics, identifying demands and hopes of data users and solving problems standing in the way.
In the inaugural session, member of the National Planning Commission (npc) Dr. Shankar Sharma said in the past eight years after economic reforms were started, though the progress in the non-agriculture sector is satisfactory, agricultural productivity is farm from satisfactory.
Stating that it is only through agricultural development the goals of poverty alleviation and sustainable economic development can be realized, Mr Sharma laid stress on the need of quality data.
Npc member-secretary Yadav Lal Vaidya expressed confidence that recommendations and conclusions hammered out by the seminar will be useful in working out new strategies for agriculture.
Fao resident Winston Rudder spoke of the need to develop agriculture sector which can play a crucial role in the country’s development.
Cbs director general Savitri Singh noted that the ninth plan has emphasised the development of agriculture for poverty alleviation.
Fao agricultural expert Ryuki Ikeda said the improvement of agricultural statistics in Asia and Pacific Countries Project which covers 16 districts aims at collecting agricultural data in fao member nations.
Dr S. M. N. Subhani, Dr Haribabu Tiwari of the Ministry of Agriculture, Triratna Manandhar and Tulasi Gautam had presented working papers on data collection.
About 40 persons from the cbs, the npc, the Ministry of agriculture and the Nepal Agriculture and Research Council (narc) are taking part in the seminar.