 |
Kathmandu Thursday July 12, 2001 Ashadh 28, 2058.
|
Officials gearing up for Agriculture Census
By Subas Risal
KATHMANDU, July 11 - Officials at the Central
Bureau of Statistics (CBS) are gearing up for yet another census, barely a month after the
census enumerators and supervisors completed the Herculean task of compiling data
collected from across the country.
With the population census over, CBS officials
told The Kathmandu Post that preparations are underway for the 5th National Sample Census
of Agriculture, or unofficially known as the ‘Mini-Census’.
The census is scheduled to begin from the month
of February.
According to the CBS, the questionnaire for this
sample Census has already been prepared and will attempt to find out "the real
picture of the agriculture situation" in the country.
"The proposed budget for National Sample
Census of Agriculture is 65 million, and the questionnaire has already been
prepared," said Keshav Raj Sharma, the Director General of CBS.
He added, "Since Nepal is a country where a
big chunk of the population depends upon agriculture, this census will definitely play a
vital role in formulating plans and policies on agriculture and to raise the living
standards of the people in the long run."
Like the population census, the ‘Mini-Census’
is conducted at a regular interval of ten years and the data is compiled in all 75
districts not on the basis of door-to door visit but rather through sampling procedures.
In doing so, the sample data is acquired from some of the selected Village Development
Committees (VDCs).
CBS says that National Sample Census of
Agriculture will help in studying the situation of the agriculture and subsequently devise
programs and policies to develop the sector. More than 90 per cent of the population is
said to be engaged in agriculture in Nepal, according to previous census data.
The need to conduct a separate census stems from
the fact that "the data collected during the (just-concluded) 10th National Census
will not be sufficient to give the real picture of the country’s agriculture
sector," said Tunga Siromani Bastola, the Deputy Director General at the Bureau.
The upcoming census will focus on agriculture,
and almost 2,500 enumerators will be deputed to compile the data, according to Bastola,
who is also the Co-ordinator of the Mini census.
He further added that some of questions for the
census have been included on the basis of recommendations from the World Food Organisation
(WFO) and other suggestions from users’ groups and technical committees.
This Census is scheduled to begin from the month
of February and will continue for three months-till month of May. There is an inclusion of
vital issues like number of domestic animals owned by the family, total area of cultivated
land and fertile land owned by the family etc.
The CBS officials also said that it would train
its employees to acquire authentic data. "We are going to give much attention on the
training. If the training to the employees is effective then it definitely will aid in
portraying the real situation of agriculture in the country," said Krishna Prasad
Shrestha, another Deputy Director of CBS.
The 1st National Sample Census of Agriculture
was conducted in 1961 with a view to bring out the real picture of the agriculture sector.
The idea has also been emphasised by the "20 years Agricultural Perspective Plan
(APP) - the long-term plan adopted by the country, which focuses on commercialisation of
agriculture, among others.
The 10th National Census was completed almost a
month ago and the data are being processed and analysed. CBS officials have been saying
that sampling will be conducted in the left-out districts of the country soon. In some of
the districts, officials say, the underground Maoist rebels deliberately obstructed the
Census works.
Other Stories
|
