SERDANG: The agricultural census will be implemented every 10 years, to ensure the baseline data is always relevant to current needs and future challenges, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
Speaking at the launch of the 2024 Agricultural Census Interim Report here Thursday (May 29), Fadillah said short-term agricultural surveys will also be implemented periodically starting in 2026 to strengthen data availability and support continuous monitoring of the country’s agricultural sector.
“Through the implementation of the 2024 Agricultural Census, the country now has comprehensive and up-to-date baseline data on the agricultural sector, which was last collected more than two decades ago.
“This is an important basis for policy formulation based on statistical evidence, thus strengthening accurate, inclusive and effective planning, implementation and monitoring of the agricultural sector,” he said.
The 2024 Agricultural Census conducted by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) provides basic data on the profile of agricultural holdings such as demographic information, agricultural yields, input costs, farm size, land use and ownership, mechanisation and use of technology.
It can be used in formulating short and long-term policies and programmes besides increasing food security, productivity and promoting sustainable agriculture.
Touching on the findings of the 2024 Agricultural Census, Fadillah, who is also the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister, said that 458,395 people (45.4 per cent) of individual agricultural entrepreneurs are aged 60 and above while 326,287 people (32.3 per cent) aged 46 to 59 years.
Individual agricultural entrepreneurs aged 15 to 45 years numbered 224,147 people (22.2 per cent).
“Clearly there is a need to rejuvenate the agricultural sector by attracting the participation of the younger generation in this sector.
“Without a skilled and competitive workforce among the younger generation, the target of strengthening the country’s food security and reducing dependence on imports is difficult to achieve,” he said.
Therefore, he stressed that strategic measures such as increasing incentives, introducing modern technology and improving perceptions of careers in the agricultural sector need to be mobilised comprehensively to ensure sustainability in the agricultural sector.
Fadillah also suggested that all parties, both at the policy-making and researcher levels, should utilise the statistics to formulate directions and appropriate interventions in the agricultural sector, especially in addressing the issue of national food security.
At the event, the Agricultural Product Price Dashboard (MyAgroPrice) was also launched, which is another important initiative for the digitalisation of the country’s agricultural statistics.
The dashboard displays the average prices of 60 selected agricultural products, covering three main stages, namely the supply chain, farm, wholesale and retail by state for a monthly time series period from 2020 to 2024.
MyAgroPrice provides added value to farmers by providing accurate and accessible price information, thus helping them plan marketing strategies better and reducing the price information gap between industry players.
At the same time, the dashboard plays an important role for policymakers to monitor price stability, identify market trends and design more targeted interventions for the well-being of the people and the country’s food security.
Also present were Deputy Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Arthur Joseph Kurup and Chief Statistician of Malaysia Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Uzir Mahidin. – Bernama