Chronicle Editor
Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZimStat) has started conducting an Agriculture and Livestock Survey (ALS) to measure the contribution of the agricultural sector to the Gross Domestic Product and assess the country’s food security situation.
The survey started on Monday and ends on March 10.
ZimStat public relations and communication manager Ms Mercy Chidemo said data relating to production, funding among others would be collected.
“Data will be collected with respect to area planted, to various crops and estimated production, inventory of different types of livestock, crop and livestock inputs used, persons engaged in agriculture activities by sex together with wages paid, inventory of farm machinery, equipment and implements, access to credit and loans, buildings and other infrastructure on agriculture holdings and transport and energy use by agriculture holdings,” she said.
Ms Chidemo said the survey will also collect data pertaining to all crops grown including maize and small grains, tobacco, soyabeans, groundnuts and cotton.
All livestock kept by farmers including cattle, sheep, chickens, goats and donkeys will be surveyed.
She said the main purpose of the survey is to produce statistics that will help assess the country’s food security situation among other purposes.
“The aim is to produce statistics necessary for measuring the contribution of the agriculture sector to Gross Domestic Product; assessing the country’s food security situation; formulation of Government’s agricultural policies among other uses,” said Ms Chidemo.
ZimStat appealed for cooperation from farmers who were selected to be part of the exercise.
Ms Chidemo said the agriculture survey will be concluded a month before the national census is conducted.
“The ongoing Agriculture and Livestock Survey runs until 10th March 2022, while the census is scheduled for 21 to 30 April 2022 hence, the survey won’t affect the census in terms of manpower,” she said.
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