Vaidyanathan panel recommends overhaul of data collection machinery for agricultural statistics

The expert committee headed by A Vaidyanathan, set up to suggest ways of improving agricultural statistics in the country, has suggested the use of remote sensing and restructuring of the data collection machinery.

In its interim report, the committee has also recommended the setting up of a National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) to deal with all aspects of crop area and yield estimation.

"The current system of both area and yield estimation lacks the institutional arrangements to collect, supervise and validate basic data on large scale on diverse crops," the report pointed out.

The committee highlighted the need for reducing the sample size by improving the design and bringing organisational changes to ensure tighter management and maintenance of high professional standards.

The committee has suggested expanding the use of remote sensing as an independent source of land use, crop area and, to the extent possible, yield estimates while also restructuring the scope, organisation and management of existing system of collecting primary data. 

Besides, the committee has suggested the setting up of a National Crop Statistics Centre (NCSC) to design, organise and supervise the generation of crop area and yield estimates at the state and national level. The centre should be an autonomous professionally-run organisation fully funded by the central government, it said.

Fieldwork would be done by trained staff in the state bureaus appointed and dedicated exclusively to carry out the programme decided by NCSC and their cost being borne entirely out of the central budget.

The committee would submit its final report by December 2010.