About 16.5 million farmer families are involved in land cultivation and fisheries and livestock across the country. The information was revealed at a Preliminary Report of Agriculture Census 2019 organised by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) held at its office in city’s Agargoan area on Sunday. The report stated that the total number of farmers in the country has also increased.
The report also said that there are over four million landless farmers, with near 6.8 million farmers cultivating lands of others. There are some 3,55,33,180 dwelling households in the country while the total number of poultry reached 18,92,62,901 and cows 2,84,87,415, the report said. Other livestock including, the number of buffaloes are 718,411, goats 19.2 million, sheep 892,628, duck 67.5 million, and turkey 1.4 million, it also said.
The initial report showed that out of the 35533180 dwelling households found during the enumeration period, some 29624975 (83.37%) households are in the rural areas while the rest of 5908205 (16.63%) are in the urban areas. Dhaka Division has the highest number (26.88%) of households followed by Chattogram and Rajshahi with 17.62 percent and 13.57 percent respectively.
Planning Minister MA Mannan said 40 per cent people of the country are engaged in agricultural works. Agriculture sector is developing day by day and the improvement should be continued, he added. “Agriculture is the backbone of our country’s history and tradition. We should use our soil properly through cultivating suitable crops, fruits and agro-based products,” the minister pointed out.
Mannan thanked all officials concerned and enumerators associated with the Agriculture Census 2019 for making it a success and also asked the Statistics Division and BBS to further review the census findings before publishing a flawless final report of the census. Agriculture census was carried out in Bangladesh in 1977, 1983-84, 1996 and 2008.
Project Director of the Agriculture Census Jafor Ahmed Khan made a power-point presentation highlighting the findings of the census. Among others, Statistics Division Secretary Saurendra Nath Chakrabarty, Agriculture Secretary Md Nasiruzzaman, Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Md. Raisul Alam Mondal and BBS Director General Mohammad Tajul Islam, were also present as special guests.
Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Md. Raisul Alam Mondal underscored the need for incorporating the statistics of the production of egg, milk, hilha, shrimp, sweet-water fisheries alongside marine fisheries in the future work of the BBS since these were not highlighted in this census. Agriculture Secretary Nasiruzzaman stressed the need for harmonizing the data and statistics of the ministry and BBS.
He suggested for counting the production of some agricultural items like sweet potato, sunflower, soybean, chickpeas, maskalai pulse as well as taking into account the production of rooftop gardens and floating crop beds. Agriculture Census 2019 was carried out in accordance with the broad guidelines provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The census operation was carried out throughout the country with full count basis from June 09-20, 2019 involving total enumerating areas of 1,63,674. According to BBS agricultural census, currently 7.84 percent families are landless in rural areas of the country while the rate was 12.84 percent in 2008.
