Vice-Premier Wang Yang called for a high-quality implementation of the third National Agriculture Census on Dec 10.

China’s agriculture now stands at a critical juncture of transformation and upgrade, which requires the census to investigate thoroughly basic information about agriculture, rural areas and farmers, Wang said.

“Through the census, we should acquire fresh knowledge about the different forms of agricultural production, new agricultural operators and the industrialization of agriculture,” he said.

The vice-premier also urged discovering new problems in rural areas and the obstacles that impede their development so as to provide statistical support for future policymaking.

China’s agriculture census takes place every 10 years. The standard time for the third census will be Dec 31, 2016.