9th Agriculture Census was formally launched in Himachal Pradesh with reference year 2010-11 under the centrally sponsored scheme.

A workshop of District level Revenue Officers and Technical Officers of Revenue Officers was held here today. The main objective of this scheme is to identify farmers according to size class of holdings and their status of ownership and cultivation to know the number and area of marginal and small farmers to classify farmers according to size class and social group, such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and others to provide data for five years plans and put to agricultural statistics on sound footing and internationally comparable standard. It is a large scale statistical operation for the collection and derivation of qualitative information about the structure of agriculture in the country.

This information is required for development planning, socio-economic policy formation and establishment of National priorities. Agriculture census is being conducted through revenue field agency in coordination with the technical staff provided by the Government of India. At field level about 3000 Revenue Officers/Officials will involve during the census operation.

This census operation will be conducted in two phases and the work of 1st phase will be completed upto September, 2011 and of 2nd phase will be completed upto June, 2012 at field level.

Financial Commissioner (Revenue) to the Government of Himachal Pradesh Deepak Sanan expected that the Deputy Commissioners who are the District Agriculture Census Officer will take a keen interest in conducting this census and get it completed strictly in accordance with the prescribed methodology and time schedule.