Planning & Statistics

The Agricultural Sector has a dominant role in the state economy and in order to estimate the average yield per hector of various crops like Paddy, Maize, Wheat, Saffron, Rape seed & mustered etc., the state has a well-knit agricultural statistical system in place. The Planning and Statistical wing in the Office of the Financial Commissioner (Revenue) is entrusted with the job of plan formulation and monitoring, collection and compilation of the statistics relating to the agricultural sector. The system is comprehensive and provides data on a wide range of topics such as Cropped Area and Production in respect of Major and Minor crops, Land use, Irrigation status, Agricultural land holdings, Agricultural Inputs, Agricultural prices, data on Indus Water Treaty etc. The qualitative data with regard to the Agricultural Sector has always been termed as the backbone of Agricultural Statistical System which is always of great importance to the planners and policy makers for efficient agricultural development and formulation of the food policy in general perspective for taking the decisions on procurement, storage, public distribution, export and import of related items.

Agricultural Statistics is compiled with the help of State Revenue Agency with Patwaris as the field workers responsible for the collection of data with supervisions undertaken at the Tehsil level, the district level by the Revenue Officers and by the Statistical Staff of the office of the Financial Commissioner (Revenue).

The whole system works by launching of various Schemes / Surveys mentioned below: -

• Timely Reporting Scheme (TRS)
• Improvement of Crop Statistics (ICS)
• Improvement of Agricultural Statistics (IAS).
  
  
  • Gen. Crop Estimation Survey (GCES) generally known as Crop Cut Survey.
  • Indus water treaty.
  • Official Statistics.
• Rationalization of Minor Irrigation.
• Agricultural Census.
• Formulation of Five Year Plans/Annual Plans and Monitoring thereof.



Timely Reporting Scheme (TRS) 100% CSS:

The Survey is conducted in 20% villages selected by the System of Systematic random Sampling in each Tehsil except the Tehsils of Leh and Kargil districts. It is a non overlapping sample which covers the whole cycle within the period of 5 years thereby giving coverage to the whole state.



Objectives:



• To reduce the time lag in the availability of Area Statistics of major crops growing in the State
• To collect the Area statistic in 20% sampled villages in both the Kharief & Rabi Seasons.
• To prepare Advance Estimates of Area under different crops on the basis of the information derived from the field under the scheme.

Improvement of Crop Statistics (ICS) 100% CSS:

This scheme is operated by the Field Operation Division (FOD) of the National Sample Survey Organization under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, GOI and the State Agricultural Agency (SASA). The scheme provides for exercising sample check of area enumeration and area aggregation in about 150 villages and also to conduct 245 crop cutting experiments at the State level.




Objectives:




The main objective of the scheme is to locate through the joint efforts of Central and State authorities, deficiencies in the system of crop collection statistics and to suggest the remedial measures. This program checks:



• Whether the Patwaries have carried out crop inspections in the relevant season properly in the respective villages.
• Whether the crop abstracts are prepared by the Patwaris and are consistent with the entries in the khasra register.
• Whether the primary workers entrusted with Crop Estimation Survey are conducting crop cutting experiments as per prescribed procedure.

The scheme has the investigative structure to access the reality of correctness of average yield projected under General Crop Estimation Survey. Thus the scheme qualifies the title of an investigative scheme also. The sub sample for this scheme is derived from the TRS frame which is about 7% of the TRS sample. This process provides a super check on the GCES.




General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES)/ Improvement of Agricultural Statistics (IAS):

One of the pivotal assignments undertaken by the Planning & Statistics wing of the Office of the Financial Commissioner(Revenue) is to undertake the General Crop Estimation Survey which takes place in both the cropping seasons of the State, the Kharief crops and the Rabi crops.




Under this programme, the total area under different crops is calculated with average yield per crop and the total production obtained in the State as a broader parameter. The micro statistical calculations travel from the villages where the experiments of the crops under a set mathematical methodology carried out and ultimately the Tehsil becomes the basic unit of the calculation to reach the results for the whole State. It is routine job chart to convey the results obtained to all the concerned dealing with the agricultural policy at the Central and State levels. This information becomes the basic parameter of assessment for the availability of food grains, their storage, preservance and the importing of deficit crops, if any.

Besides the undertaking of crop cutting experiments, the other parameters assessed are enlisted as follows.




Objectives:




Crop Forecast Reports/Crop Estimates:

• The yield rate and production of the crops with estimates are covered under this scheme. Paddy, Maize, Saffron, Potato, Wheat, Rape-Seed, Mustard, Linseed as principal crops and other small crops come under this scheme. Ancillary information is also worked out for yield rate and production under plain/hilly areas and irrigated/unirrigated areas.

Farm Harvest Prices:

• Farm harvest prices of different agricultural crops is also collected and released annually.

Indus Water Treaty:

• Data on Indus water treaty with regard to the use of water from the Jhelum, Chenab and Sind basin is being collected and furnished to the Ministry of Water Resources, GOI for its further transmission to the Govt. of Pakistan.

Agricultural Statistical Returns:

• Agricultural Statistical Returns are also being released under this scheme which indicates the 12 fold classification of the data showing the area under agricultural use, non agricultural use, under forests, barren and un-cultivable lands, permanent pastures, land under miscellaneous uses, cultivable waste, fallow land, current fallow, land under still waters, marshy lands and the net area sown etc. Almost all the crops sown in the state in both Rabi and Kharief seasons are indicated in this report.

Minor Irrigation:

It is a centrally sponsored scheme with 100% share by the Ministry of Water resources, GOI, Financial Commissioner (Revenue) State Census Commissioner with Joint Director (P&S) as Technical Officer for the State Census. The scheme has a time bondage of 5 years and is a regular feature.




Objectives:




The objective of this scheme is to conduct a census of Minor Irrigation projects in the State to assess the irrigation pattern from the minor water bodies that include wells, tube-wells, Kualls, Springs and other minor Irrigation sources available predominantly to those areas where major irrigation facilities are not available and the measures being undertaken to improve the irrigation structure under rationalization of minor irrigation. The main aim of the RMIS scheme is to build a comprehensive and reliable database in the Minor Irrigation sector for future planning and to conduct Census of Minor Irrigation Projects in the state after every five years besides collecting physical progress reports of Minor Irrigation Projects from the implementing agencies viz Rural Development and Irrigation & Flood Control Departments and Superindent Engineer (R&B), PWD Leh and Kargil periodically.




The 4th census of Minor Irrigation Schemes with reference year 2006-07 has been completed and CD of data entry stands submitted to GOI, Ministry of Water Resources New Delhi for data processing and compilation of reports at National Level.




Agricultural Census:

It is a centrally sponsored scheme with 100% share undertaken by the Ministry of Agriculture, GOI, Financial Commissioner (Revenue) as State Census Commissioner with Joint Director (P&S) as Technical Officer for the State Census.

Objectives:




For agriculture development, knowledge of the detailed structure, and the characteristics of agricultural holding is imperative for efficient planning for the social scientists so it is essential to have the information about the operational holdings which is distinct from the ownership holding. An operational holding is defined as, “All land used wholly or partly for agricultural production and is operated as one unit by one person alone or with others without regard to title, legal form, size or location.” The operational holding is the fundamental unit of decision making in agriculture and for other developmental programmes, for the improvement of the condition of individual cultivators and the production in particular. Thus, a census of operational holdings concepted as Agricultural Census for providing of basic data on the number, size, tenancy, land utilization, cropping pattern and irrigation particulars etc assume importance.




The concept of Agricultural Census has originated from the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. In 1970 with receiving of proposal of the World Agricultural Census from FAO, the Govt. of India decided to participate in this programme. It was decided to obtain the necessary information by re-tabulation of the land records and thus the Ist Agriculture Census in India was conducted with reference year 1970-71.




The main objective of the scheme is to conduct agriculture census on all India pattern after every 5 years to know the structure of operational holdings. It comprises of 3 phases: -



• Under Phase I, complete census of operational holdings under different size classes for different social groups is undertaken in each village of the state as a whole.
• Under Phase II, 20% villages are covered under random sampling technique to record the tenancy status, cropping pattern, irrigation source and status etc.
• Under Phase III called an input survey undertaken on 7% (35% of Phase II). The villages are covered in each Tehsil and from each selected village, 20 cultivators are selected for this survey. The data collected under this phase is Land use, Multiple Cropping Pattern, use of fertilizers/manures and pesticides, information on livestock, inventory of agricultural implements, agricultural credit facilities, source of seeds etc.