Statistics South Africa to conduct Census of Commercial Agriculture from Oct 15

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends that a country conducts a census of agriculture at least every ten years.

Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) will from 15 October start a countrywide Census of Commercial Agriculture.

The exercise will see Stats SA deploy about 600 field staff to various commercial farms across the country. The study, according to Stats SA, will establish the number of farms, their size of farms, crop types being farmed in different geographic areas, and agricultural inputs like irrigation usage.

Statistician-General Risenga Maluleke will on Tuesday provide further details as well as the state of readiness for Census of Commercial Agriculture at a press briefing.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends that a country conducts a census of agriculture at least every ten years.

“Data collected from the survey is important in painting a picture on size and structure of the agriculture sector, contribution of the sector to national accounts, and employment figures,” said Stats SA.

(With inputs from South African Government press release)