Distinguished Chairman; Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

The International Seminar on Chinese Agricultural Census Results, with the considerate organization and efforts of all of the representatives and guests, has successfully completed all of the issues listed in the agenda, and will come to a close this afternoon. Please allow me here, on behalf of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, to congratulate, and at the same time, express my sincere thanks to the organizers and to all of the representatives and guests for their hard work in ensuring the success of the seminar.

 

The First Chinese National Agricultural Census was the kind of statistical activity, which attracted the world′s attention. Since the beginning of its preparation, it has become the focus of world attention and has been widely supported. The International Seminar on Chinese Agricultural Census Results further attracted the participation of national and international officials, experts and scholars from FAO, Italy, the United States, the Republic of Korea, etc. Some of them were invited to contribute 39 papers on 12 topics, which were presented and discussed, with the following fruitful results:

 

First, from an international comparison point of view, a clear, in depth understanding of basic Chinese national information was accomplished. China is a large agricultural country. To clearly understand the situation of agriculture, rural areas and farmers is the basis of a clear understanding of national information. Many of the papers based on the data from the Chinese Agricultural Census, from the point of view of international comparison, probed deeply into aspects such as: the international position of Chinese agriculture, factorial structure, regional differences, non-agricultural industry, women′s roles, anti-poverty, as well as food security. These discussions helped us see the situation of Chinese agricultural development against the background of a globalized economy, and, in particular, to understand the prospects and challenges of Chinese agriculture in light of the entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO). All of this knowledge will undoubtedly contribute to improving rural policy-making, as well as rural, economic and social development, as a whole.

 

Second, from the viewpoint of the development of world agricultural censuses, an overall evaluation and summary of the data quality and working experience of the Chinese Agricultural Census was conducted. China is a vast rural land with a large population and various regional differences. In confronting these enormous and complex issues, the quality of census data is always first and foremost. During the census, we always insisted on “quality as the basis" and were careful to ensure high quality data every step of the way. This effort has been recognized and highly praised by the seminar. Through the papers, evaluations and the results of the census, it has been proven that the data quality of the Agricultural Census of China is reliable. At the same time, the experience of the census as summarized in the seminar, i.e.: the mobilization of the administrative system, the adoption of advanced techniques and methodologies, as well as the efficacy of the training courses will not only undoubtedly contribute to the development of the Chinese agricultural censuses in the future but, in providing our experience to others, will further the development of censuses all over the world.

 

Third, the suggestions made in the seminar will contribute to the improvement of the methodology, the internationalization and the standardization of Chinese agricultural statistics. During the seminar, many helpful suggestions were made concerning post-census development of agricultural statistics, such as:  improving the sample design based on the census results; constructing an integrated system of rural statistics; establishing agricultural balance sheets; conducting agricultural economic accounts; and developing census data by using the GIS system. All of these suggestions are very important and valuable, and will be gradually taken into consideration during the course of improvement of Chinese agricultural statistics.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen, the International Seminar on Chinese Agricultural Census Results has been a success. It is another fruitful result of international cooperation in the field of agricultural statistics. I sincerely hope that, as we share the fruit of these results, we can consider this a starting point for the next thousand years, and continue to cooperate, extend new fields of cooperation, and further expand the development of agricultural censuses and agricultural statistics in the world.

 

Thank you.