Govt Launches 7th Digital Agricultural Census

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has launched field operations for the country’s 7th Digital Agricultural Census. Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal inaugurated the initiative in Islamabad by distributing enumerators for efficient data collection. Similar launch events were held in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, and Muzaffarabad. The census has already started on January 1 and will last till February 10, 2025. It involves 7,686 trained enumerators and supervisors nationwide. Its findings will be shared by August and help develop policies on resource management, crop patterns, and food security while supporting farmers and encouraging productivity. The initiative has attracted participation from federal and provincial sectors, academia, and private-sector experts. In Lahore, Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shujaur Rehman inaugurated the census operations for the province. Sindh’s Planning Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Livestock Minister Muhammad Ali Malkani launched operations in Karachi, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Agriculture Minister Sajjad Barakwal launched operations for the province in Peshawar. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Agriculture Minister Sardar Mir Akbar inaugurated operations in Muzaffarabad. The 7th census leverages GIS technology and digital tools for real-time monitoring and is expected to help develop modern agricultural policies for addressing issues like food security challenges in the long term.