China will conduct its second national agricultural census as of January 1, 2007, the largest of its kind, a senior official with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

Qiu Xiaohua, Deputy Director of the NBS, said the census will be the biggest of its kind in the world as it involves more than 200 million rural households in more than 30,000 rural townships and over 600,000 villages.

The census will cover such aspects as farmers' livelihood, employment and their living conditions as well as the use of farmlands, he said.

Preparations for this census are under way and the registration is expected to begin as of Jan. 1, 2007, and analysis of the information collected will begin in 2008, he said.

China initiated its first agricultural census in 1996 and great changes have taken place since then in the rural areas, said Qiu.

Therefore, more accurate and updated databases are needed for the government to adopt policies concerning rural residents and agriculture, he said.

Nearly 70 percent of the total population in China is rural residents, and many of its rural areas are poor and backward, and the agriculture is still vulnerable.

This alarming situation has prompted the government to address issues concerning rural residents and agriculture as one of its priorities.

(Xinhua News Agency December 14, 2005)