Indonesia prioritises modern, sustainable agriculture, Illustrative image (Photo source: Internet)

Jakarta – Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said conducting census every five years is necessary to improve the effectiveness of sustainable agricultural development instead of the previous ten-year census.

Addressing the Agricultural Census Conference 2023 in Jakarta on May 15, Widodo said the cost of conducting the agricultural census is approximately 3,000 billion rupiah (around 200 million USD). This cost is deemed acceptable to establish a modern and up-to-date agricultural sector in Indonesia. Therefore, reducing the duration of the agricultural census is reasonable.

The last population census was conducted a decade ago. This extended gap is too long considering the yearly changing conditions, while government decisions still rely on data from ten years ago.

He also called upon all stakeholders in the agricultural sector to ensure the success of the census, which will be conducted from June 1 to July 30.