The number of agriculture-based households in the country has increased to 16.88 million while the cropping intensity has also enhanced to 214 per cent, according to the report of the Agriculture Census-2019.
The report says the number of agriculture-based households in rural areas is 16.04 million while 833,000 in urban areas. On the other hand, the cropping intensity in the rural areas is 214 per cent while it is 207 per cent in the urban areas.
The final report of the Agriculture Census 2019 shows that the number of agriculture-based households in the last Census in 2008 was 15.18 million while the cropping intensity was 173 per cent.
The final report of the latest agriculture Census was published at a function, arranged under the Agriculture (crops, fisheries and livestock) Census-2018 project. at the auditorium of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, according to BSS.
Planning Minister MA Mannan spoke at the function as chief guest while State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam and Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Dr Shahnaz Arefin spoke as special guests.
Presided over by BBS Director General Md Motiar Rahman, project director Alauddin Al Azad made a power-point presentation on the findings of the census.
The fifth Agriculture Census was conducted in the country from June 9 to June 20 in 2019. The previous four editions of the agriculture census were carried out in the country in 1977, 1983-84, 1996 and in 2008.
The latest census report said that the number of total households in the country is 35.55 million. As per the previous agriculture census carried out in 2008, the number of total households was 28.69 million.
The latest census showed that the total number of agriculture-labour based on households in the country is 9.2 million while the fishery-based households are 1.22 million.
The latest census said that the total arable land in the country is 18.68 million acres which was 19.09 million acres as per the previous agriculture census in 2008.
Besides, the total barren land amounted to 244,000 acres which was 150,000 acres as per the previous Census.
Speaking on the occasion, the planning minister suggested conducting a population and economic census every alternate year. He also opined that labour force surveys should be conducted every year.
Mannan also stressed enhancing the use of technology in all spheres of the operations of the BBS.
State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam underscored the need for conducting the Agriculture Census regularly so that the gap between two editions of the census does not exceed the stipulated timeframe.
Shamsul Alam said although agriculture now contributes to around 11.50 per cent of the country's GDP, but its contributions are enormous in terms of ensuring food security as the country's around 40 per cent of the workforce is engaged in agriculture.
The state minister said Bangladesh was not affected largely during the Covid-19 pandemic it was also the best performer in the South Asian region due to the immediate announcement of the stimulus packages prioritising the agriculture sector.
He, however, opined for conducting the agriculture Census every five years.
The latest agriculture census depicted that the total number of household chickens increased to 199.40 million, ducks to 74.49 million, cows to 29.45 million and goats to 19.44 million.
Besides, the latest census report said the land under Aush cultivation totalled 2.46 million acres, under Aman cultivation totalled 11.97 million acres, under Boro cultivation totalled 11.06 million acres, under wheat cultivation totalled 820,000 acres, under Jute cultivation totalled 1.69 million acres, under potatoes cultivation totalled 1.10 million acres, under maize cultivation totalled 1.07 million acres.
Apart from these, the number of tractors in the country increased to 178,000, power tillers increased to 355,000 while the crop harvesting machines to 916,000 million.
Earlier, the planning minister along with other guests unveiled the cover of the final report of the Agriculture Census 2019. Mannan also digitally inaugurated the Agriculture Directory Management System.