Verified

Agriculture census to go fully digital

The Department of Census and Statistics (DCS) is set to conduct a fully digital enumeration of the country’s agricultural activities to establish an updated database for future planning and policy decisions in the agriculture sector.

Speaking at a press briefing yesterday (7), DCS Director General K M D S D Karunaratne urged the public to provide accurate and updated information, saying the data would form a foundation for future economic planning and decision-making.

The enumeration, conducted under the Economic Census, will cover agricultural activities, crop cultivation, water sources, disaster conditions, agricultural facilities, processing centres and livestock within each Grama Niladhari Division.

It will also collect information on small and large agricultural holdings, landowners, home gardeners and individuals engaged in smart agriculture.

Karunaratne said the census would be conducted entirely digitally, replacing the paper-based system used previously. Around 16,000 tablets will be used for data collection, which she said would also help reduce the Government’s expenditure.

The total budget allocated for the project is Rs 2 billion.

Responding to a question on whether the data collected would be shared with relevant ministries and departments to support decision-making and policy formulation, Karunaratne said the information would be provided to the relevant authorities accordingly.