Agartala, Nov 1 (IANS): As part of a nationwide programme, the tenth Agricultural Census with reference year 2015-16 began in Tripura on Tuesday, officials said.

The census was launched in different parts of the country on February 3 and the final report would be published in 2018, officials said.

"The field works of the Agricultural Census initiated today (Tuesday) and it would continue till December 31. The census would be done in different phases and diverse periods," Tripura Agricultural Census Commissioner Amit Roy Barman told IANS.

"Officials of revenue, agriculture, horticulture, finance, statistics and district administrations were involved in the two-years long process. Before starting the gigantic works, training was given to the concerned officials."

According to the official, Agriculture Census in India is conducted at five yearly intervals for collection of information about structural aspects of agricultural holdings in the country.

The basic statistical unit for data collection is 'Operational Holding'.

The census is the large statistical operation and the information collected through it is quite significant for the policy makers, planners, administrators, researchers and academicians. It was first launched by the Indian government in 1970-71.

Agriculture Census data is collected in three phases. Detailed data is collected on sample basis from 20 per cent villages covering characteristics such as tenancy, land use, irrigation, cropping pattern, dispersal of holding and on pattern of use of inputs.

Agriculture Census Commissioner Mamta Saxena in a statement said that the concepts and definitions used in agriculture census are broadly in conformity with those adopted in the world census of agriculture.