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Vanuatu is preparing to conduct a national census on the agriculture sector.
Director of Agriculture Antoine Ravo said the Agriculture Census will be more inclusive focusing on relevant productive sectors that contribute to the social, environmental and economic well-being of the people of Vanuatu as stipulated under the National Sustainable Development Plan (NSDP) 2030.
Ravo said the Agriculture Census is timely as it will provide qualitative directives to the Government’s development programmes that are critical to key sectors and will continue to grow and thrive in the "new normal."
The theme for the 2022 Agriculture census is ‘YUMI KOLEKTEM KWALITI PRAEMERI PRODAKSEN DATA BLONG LEFTEMAP EKONOMI’
The last census was held in 2006.
According to the results of the 2006 Census listing there were 43 312 households in Vanuatu in 2006, which is an increase of 6 897 households since the last Population Census in 1999.
Of the 35 122 households with garden plots in 2006, the highest number was in the Shefa province (8 774 plots), and the lowest number was in the Torba province (1 510 plots).
The total number of cattle at the time of enumeration was estimated at 142 900. The main categories of livestock other than cattle were pigs and goats. The figures were even higher for poultry with an average of 9 poultry per household (
Seventy seven percent of the households (31 230) engaged in some form of fishing activities, while a significantly high proportion of the households also engaged in forestry activities for their own consumption and sales.
Vanuatu's economy is primarily agricultural, with key crops being copra, cocoa, kava, contributing considerably to Vanuatu's GDP.
The Government is reportedly planning to stimulate the agriculture sector to diversify the economy away from tourism.
According to a report by RNZ Pacific, the economy, which is mostly held up by tourism, has been ruined by the collapse of the visitor market since March of 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Photo supplied Caption: 2022 Agriculture Census Steering Committee consists of VNSO, MALFFB, VPPA, DESPAC, and the Department of Women Affairs.
