Help Realize Food Sovereignty, BPS Holds Agricultural Census 2023

Illustration (Photo: Doc. Antara)

PADANG - The Central Statistics Agency will hold an agricultural census in 2023 aimed at recording Indonesian agriculture to help realize food sovereignty and the welfare of farmers.

"The 2023 Agricultural System is the seventh implementation to be carried out every 10 years since 1963," said West Sumatra BPS Head Herum Fajarwati as quoted by Antara, Thursday, October 6.

According to him, the 2023 Agricultural Census aims to collect a national agricultural database to answer strategic issues in the fields of agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.

The indicators produced from this activity include indicators of agricultural SDGs, gurem farmers, millennial farmers, urban farming, small-scale farmers and others.

"Thus the results can be utilized properly by policy makers and data users, including data journalists," he said.

He explained that currently his party has made a number of preparations starting from coordinating with relevant stakeholders and collecting data on agricultural companies.

Meanwhile, the Coordinator of the Function of Production Statistics for BPS West Sumatra Faizal said that seeing the variables needed to complete agricultural data was very dynamic.

"Therefore, the agricultural census must be able to answer data needs at national and global levels," he said.

He explained that there are seven coverages of the 2023 Agricultural Census, namely food crops including rice, corn and palawija, horticulture including vegetables and fruits for a season, biopharmaceutical and ornamental plants.

Then, plantations include rubber, palm oil, coffee, tea, cocoa and sugar cane, agricultural services including preparation, planting, maintenance, watering, raiding, harvesting agricultural land, livestock, logging, and felling fish.

Furthermore, forestry includes forestry plants, protected wildlife, wild plants, collection of forest products.

Then, fisheries includes sea water fisheries, brackish water, freshwater fish and ornamental fish. Then the livestock includes slaughter cows, dairy cows, buffalo, horses, goats and sheep.

In the context of implementing the census, his party cooperates with the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries to prepare basic data.

The 2023 Agricultural Census will be held on May 1-31 to record all agricultural business actors, both individuals, groups, and state-owned agricultural companies throughout Indonesia.