Pakistan has 3.249 million establishments, economic census of the Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) sources told newsmen here. The FBS sources said the Bureau had conducted an economic census in the country as directed by the National Statistical Council (NSC) in its fifth meeting held on March 3, 1998.
The economic census, they said, covered 26,144 enumeration blocks in urban areas and 45,817 villages in rural areas, excluding the Federally-administered tribal Areas (Fata).
About 1,388 enumerators were engaged to carry out the census, which included 1,088 contract and 300 regular enumerators working in the FBS regional field offices, they added.
All establishments and households, engaged in any kind of economic activity, excluding agriculture, had been covered in the census, which was conducted in the country during April 2001 to December 2003, they said.
The FBS, the sources said, covered 3.249 million establishments households where any economic activity was being carried out during the time of enumeration.
The main objectives of the economic census, they said, were:
-To develop comprehensive sampling frame to conduct number of economic surveys for national accounts and to provide benchmark information for the preparation of future projections with regard to the number of establishments by type of economic activity and employment size.
Bedsides, the FBS sources said the economic census findings would be utilised by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) for formulation of its future policies.
Other national and international agencies would also benefit from the economic census data, they added.
About the main findings of the economic census, they said, of the total 3.249 million establishments covered in the census, 2.958 million or 91 percent had provided complete information, whereas about one percent were either closed or declined to provide the information.
Slightly over eight percent establishments were such, which provided incomplete information, they added.
They said that of the total establishments, 2.088 million were in Punjab, 0.586 million in Sindh, 0.48 million in the NWFP, 0.074 million in Balochistan and 0.020 million in Islamabad.
They said that 0.183 million, ie 5.6 percent of the total establishments, were the households establishments, where any type of economic activity was carried out at the time of enumeration.
Establishments other than households covered in the census were 3.066 million, they said. They added that 1.567 million or 53 percent of the total establishments were in the wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels sector, 0.583 million or about 20 percent in manufacturing sector, 0.650 million or 22 percent in community, social and personnel services sector.
Among the households establishments, slightly about 64 percent or 0.117 million households establishments were engaged in manufacturing activities, about nine percent in agriculture (poultry farming, fish farming and livestock), about 21 percent in community services and personnel services sectors and about four percent engaged in wholesale retail trade, hotels and restaurants sector, they added.
The sources said of the total 0.583 million manufacturing establishments covered in economic census, adding that 0.399 million were in Punjab, which shared 68 percent of the total manufacturing industries, 0.081 million in Sindh, 0.093 million in NWFP about 8,000 in Balochistan and slightly over 2,000 in Islamabad, they said.