Four thousand one hundred family farmers counted in Palpa

Agricultural census of 4,100 families of farmers in Palpa district is being conducted. A total of 61 enumerators and 16 supervisors have reached their workplaces in 164 areas of the district. Census is being counted by dividing the areas in 10 municipalities.

District Agriculture Census Officer Bhavishwar Ghimire informed that 20 counting areas have been identified in Rampur Municipality, 17-17 in Nisdi, Mathagadhi Municipality, 15-15 in Tinau, Purbakhola, Rambha, Ribdikot, 18 in Rainadevi Chhahra, 16-16 in Tansen Municipality and Baganaskali Municipality.

Assistant District Agriculture Census Officer Lekhnath Pandey said that enumerators and supervisors have been trained for the census. There is a time limit of 45 days for enumerators and supervisors to collect data. Each municipality has six to seven enumerators and one to two supervisors.

The agricultural census to be conducted from 19th of April to 2nd of June, at the local level, detailed details related to agricultural activities will be collected through personal interviews with the selected farming families by scientific method.

The enumerator will collect data on the number of native livestock in crisis, all crops, fish, livestock and arable land. In this agricultural census, which is taking place six months after the start of the national census, 24 main questions will be asked to the farmers.

In this year's agricultural census, statistics of barren land in family, commercial and institutional form will be collected. Statistics on the number of farmers, livestock census, agricultural credit, agricultural labor, participation of women in agriculture, irrigation, number of farmers receiving subsidy, use of agricultural tools, mechanization in agriculture, agricultural insurance, use of chemical fertilizers, use of improved seeds etc. will also be collected. In the present census, the unit of calculation is the agricultural practice.

According to the District Agriculture Census Office, agriculture can be counted only if the crop is planted in at least four acres in mountainous and hilly districts and in at least eight acres in terai districts. The Department of Statistics has been conducting agricultural census every 10 years. Earlier, agriculture was enumerated in 2011 AD. The first agricultural census in Nepal was conducted in 1961 AD.