Agricultural Census (2021-22)

Key Highlights:

• The 11th Agricultural Census (with reference year 2021-22) commenced in 2022, and its three phases of fieldwork and data collection have been completed.
• Agricultural Census in India is conducted every five years in collaboration with States and Union Territories.
• It provides a reliable database on socio-economic aspects of operational holdings in the country.
• The data is crucial for agricultural policy making, planning land utilization, and efficient allocation of subsidies and credit facilities.

Detailed Insights:

• Phase-I of the census collects data on primary characteristics of agricultural holdings and area operated through complete enumeration.
• Phase-II gathers data on characteristics like cropping pattern and irrigation status from 20% of sample villages in each Tehsil.
• Phase-III collects data on input use patterns of operational holdings from 7% of sample villages in each Tehsil.
• The census provides information on the number, size, and distribution of operational holdings by classes (marginal, small, semi-medium, medium, and large).
• It also includes data on tenancy, consolidation of holdings, land distribution, and woman-operated land holdings to support gender-based interventions.
• This information was provided by the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Ramnath Thakur, in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Agricultural Census: A large-scale statistical operation conducted periodically to collect data on the structure of agriculture.
• Operational Holdings: All land used wholly or partly for agricultural production, operated as one technical unit by one person alone or with others.