Head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Xie Fuzhan has called for authentic statistics to be provided in the second agricultural census, following the submission of a wealth of falsified information.

The remarks came after more than 40 cases of false information were uncovered since the census started on Jan. 1 this year.

Some census takers did not follow the collection procedures and fabricated figures to make sure official targets were reached, Xie said on Thursday at a national statistics conference in Beijing.

The national investigation is aimed at laying the foundation for improving the country's rural policies but once again it is being undermined by official corruption.

Xie urged local authorities to perform their duties faithfully, adding that those who were responsible for fictitious data would be punished.

The census, which covers 30,000 townships and more than 200 million rural households, will collect information about farm production, employment, migration, environmental conditions, land use, fixed-asset investment and quality of life in rural areas.

China's first agricultural census was conducted in 1996.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)