Annual Report 2009-2010 - Department of Agriculture & Co-operation

3.1 The Directorate of Economics and
Statistics (DES), an attached office of the
Department of Agriculture and Cooperation
(DAC), is entrusted with the responsibility for the
collection, collation, dissemination and
publication of statistical data on diverse facets
of agriculture and allied sectors required for
planning and policy formulation by the
Government. The Directorate of Economics and
Statistics is also the nodal organisation for
examining reports submitted by the Commission
for Agricultural Costs and Prices on price policy
for principal crops and other aspects of
agriculture. The Price Policy for Agricultural
Commodities forms an important element of
overall agricultural policy. Minimum Support
Prices (MSP) for important cereals, pulses,
oilseeds, and other commercial crops, namely,
cotton, jute, and sugarcane, are fixed by the
Government every year on the basis of
recommendations made by the Commission for
Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). One of the
important factors considered by the CACP in
making its recommendations on MSPs for
3
Directorate of
Economics and Statistics
different crops is the cost of cultivation and
production, for which a database is provided by
the DES, compiled through its Plan scheme, on
the cost of cultivation, a component of the
Umbrella Scheme Studies on Inputs for
Agricultural Economic Policy and Development.
3.2 Major Programmes and Activities of the
DES: Agricultural Statistics: The Directorate of
Economics and Statistics is implementing a
central sector plan scheme, Improvement of
Agricultural Statistics, fully funded by the
Government of India for taking initiatives to
improve the Agricultural Statistics System in the
states. Based on the estimates provided by
various State Governments through designated
State Agricultural Statistics Authorities (SASA,
comprising the State Directorate of Economics
and Statistics, the Department of Agriculture, and
the Department of Land Revenue), advance
estimates of the production of food grains and
commercial crops are released on a quarterly
basis, which are widely used for planning and
policy formulation.
Directorate of Economics and Statistics
15