PBS preparing for integrated digital agriculture census

ISLAMABAD: Following the successful completion of the seventh population and housing census (the first-ever digital census), the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is gearing up to conduct the Seventh agricultural census across the country.

This integrated digital count will encompass agriculture, livestock, and machinery, aligning with the best international practices and UNFAO guidelines, marking a long-awaited endeavour.

To ensure comprehensive involvement and widespread acceptance, the PBS has initiated collaborations with partner organisations and provincial stakeholders, including the Board of Revenue, Agricultural Extension, Livestock departments, Provincial Bureaus of Statistics, and Crop Reporting Services.

The engagement of stakeholders has facilitated diverse perspectives, needs identification, and the resolution of potential issues, ensuring the provision of credible statistics and a seamless field operation for the Agricultural Census. The process commenced with a meeting of all provincial focal persons (SMBRs) at PBS HQ Islamabad on December 20, 2023.

Subsequently, a series of provincial meetings commenced, with the first held at the Provincial Census Coordination Centre (P3C), Sindh, PBS, Karachi. The second meeting took place on February 15, 2024, at the P3C, PBS Provincial Office, Punjab, Lahore, chaired by Dr. Naeem uz Zafar, Chief Census Commissioner. Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, Member (SS/RM), along with senior officers from PBS HQ Islamabad, Lahore, and provincial departments, attended the meeting.

The chief census commissioner emphasised the significance of agriculture in Pakistan, which constitutes 23% of the GDP, with livestock alone contributing 64% to the agricultural sector and employing 37% of the labour force. Highlighting the necessity of up-to-date data for evidence-based policy planning, he underscored the importance of the Agricultural Census 2024 as a crucial information source.

Muhammad Sarwar Gondal, Member (Support Services/IT), received detailed briefings on the methodology, field operation plan, media strategy, and budget requirements.

It was disclosed that the PBS, in collaboration with FAO, meticulously selected 11,054 mouzas and blocks nationwide for sampling, with 4,501 from Punjab. The field operations schedule for September–October 2024 was also presented.

This will mark the first integrated digital exercise for agricultural data collection in Pakistan, leveraging tablet-based data collection, digitised maps of mouzas and blocks, an SMS gateway, and a call center. Various working groups have been established to manage complaints and provide information, with 157 Census Support Centres (CSCs) set up at each Deputy Commissioner’s Office to facilitate efficient field operations. Divisional and district census coordinators have been deployed for technical guidance and operational management.

Moreover, 157 training venues equipped with multimedia facilities have been identified for training sessions, utilising ICT materials with interactive videos and audios to ensure concept standardisation.

Provincial stakeholders commended the efforts, foreseeing PBS's ability to furnish timely, accurate, and relevant data essential for informed policy planning and decision-making upon the completion of this national endeavour.