Lok Sabha Question No. 5785 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-03
Subject: Acquisition of Agricultural Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, COOPERATION AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5785

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 RD   APRIL, 2018

## ACQUISITION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND

5785.   SHRI ASHOK MAHADEORAO NETE:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी be pleased to state:

- (a) the total area of agriculture land acquired for the purpose of development in the country during the last three years, State-wise;
- (b) the  extent  to  which  the  aforesaid  move  has  adversely  affected  agriculture  production and the prices of essential commodities; and
- (c) the steps taken by the Government to check the acquisition of fertile land?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंालय म राय मंी (SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH SHEKHAWAT)

(a): While  there  is  shift  in  agricultural  land  for  non  agricultural  purposes  including  land acquired  for  the  purpose  of  development,  non-agricultural  land  is  also  being  brought  under agricultural  uses.  As  such,  the  details  of  agricultural  land  diverted  to  non-agricultural  uses including  land  acquired  for  the  purpose  of  development  are  not  maintained  separately. However,  as  per  report  on  Land  Use  Statistics  for  2014-15  (latest  available),  the  State-wise details of agricultural land and area under non- agricultural uses during the last three years i.e. 2012-13 to 2014-15 are given at Annexure.

- (b): Prices of the agricultural produce are determined by supply and demand conditions in the market on a day to day basis. Overall production of foodgrains has been comfortable. As per the Second Advance estimates of production of food grains 2017-18, the production of total food grains  is  estimated  at  277.49  Million  Tonnes  in  2017-18  as  compared  to  275.11  Million Tonnes  in  2016-17.  Pulses  production  is  estimated  at  23.95  Million  Tonnes  in  2017-18  as compared  to  23.13  Million  Tonnes  in  2016-17.    As  per  the  First  Advance  estimates  of production  of  horticulture  crops  2017-18,  production  of  horticulture  crops  is  estimated  at 305426.30 thousand MT in 2017-18 as compared to 300642.95 thousand MT in 2016-17.

Continue…2/

The Government has taken a number of measures to control inflation, especially food inflation.  The  steps  taken,  inter  alia,  include,  (i)  sufficient  budgetary  allocation  for  Price Stabilization Fund to check volatility of prices of essential commodities, in particular, of pulses; (ii)  created  buffer  stock of pulses through domestic procurement and imports; (iii) announced higher  Minimum  Support  Prices  so  as  to  incentivize  production;  (iv)  issued  advisory  to States/UTs  to  take  strict  action  against  hoarding  and  black  marketing  under  the  Essential Commodities Act 1955 and the Prevention of Black-marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980; (v) monitored  the availability position and import tariffs were suitability modulated.

(c): As per Seventh Schedule of Constitution of India, land comes under the purview of State Government  and,  therefore,  it  is  for  the  State  Governments  to  take  suitable  steps  to  check diversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.  However, under the National Policy for Farmers - 2007 (NPF-2007), State Governments have been advised to earmark lands with low biological potential  such as uncultivable land, land affected by salinity, acidity, etc., for nonagricultural development activities, including industrial and construction activities.

National  Rehabilitation  and  Resettlement  Policy  -  2007  (NRRP-2007)  has  also recommended that as far as possible, projects may be set up on waste land, degraded land or un-irrigated  land.    Acquisition  of  irrigated,  multi-cropped  agricultural  land  for  non-agricultural uses  may  be  kept  to  the  minimum  and  avoided,  to  the  extent  possible.    Further,  Ministry  of Rural Development is implementing an Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) for development of rainfed/ degraded areas.  The IWMP has been converted to the Watershed Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) from the financial year 2015-16.

Further,  Government  of  India  is  implementing  National  Mission  for  Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) with a view to prevent soil erosion, land degradation and also to maintain balance in various types of land uses across the country.  Under this mission all types of land including  wastelands/barren  land  are  developed  with  suitable  need  based  soil  and  water conservation  measures  and  parts  of  such  degraded  lands  developed  are  put  to  agricultural practices, leading to net sown area remaining largely unchanged around 141 million ha. in the last two decades.

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## Annexure

## Annexure referred in reply to part (a) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 5785 due for answer on 03.04.2018

State-wise details of agricultural land and area under non-agricultural uses in the country for the last three years 2012-13 to 2014-15 (latest available)

(Thousand Hectares)

| STATES/UTs                | Agricultural Land   | Agricultural Land   | Agricultural Land   | Area under non-agricultural uses   | Area under non-agricultural uses   | Area under non-agricultural uses   |
|---------------------------|---------------------|---------------------|---------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| STATES/UTs                | 2012-13             | 2013-14             | 2014-15             | 2012-13                            | 2013-14                            | 2014-15                            |
| ANDHRA PRADESH            | 15930               | 8879                | 9047                | 2873                               | 2095                               | 2002                               |
| ARUNACHAL PRADESH         | 424                 | 424                 | 423                 | 26                                 | 26                                 | 25                                 |
| ASSAM                     | 3356                | 3357                | 3364                | 1262                               | 1274                               | 1271                               |
| BIHAR                     | 6582                | 6578                | 6579                | 1708                               | 1712                               | 1712                               |
| CHHATTISGARH              | 5552                | 5550                | 5558                | 734                                | 738                                | 741                                |
| GOA                       | 197                 | 197                 | 197                 | 37                                 | 37                                 | 37                                 |
| GUJARAT                   | 12661               | 12661               | 12661               | 1171                               | 1171                               | 1171                               |
| HARYANA                   | 3664                | 3645                | 3656                | 542                                | 537                                | 534                                |
| HIMACHAL PRADESH          | 812                 | 812                 | 812                 | 350                                | 350                                | 350                                |
| JAMMU & KASHMIR           | 1070                | 1070                | 1075                | 267                                | 267                                | 266                                |
| JHARKHAND                 | 4336                | 4343                | 4343                | 710                                | 706                                | 706                                |
| KARNATAKA                 | 12846               | 12840               | 12827               | 1436                               | 1444                               | 1461                               |
| KERALA                    | 2280                | 2279                | 2266                | 508                                | 512                                | 526                                |
| MADHYA PRADESH            | 17264               | 17267               | 17252               | 2126                               | 2162                               | 2149                               |
| MAHARASHTRA               | 21129               | 21127               | 21099               | 1456                               | 1460                               | 1482                               |
| MANIPUR                   | 316                 | 384                 | 390                 | 26                                 | 26                                 | 26                                 |
| MEGHALAYA                 | 1056                | 1056                | 1056                | 108                                | 108                                | 111                                |
| MIZORAM                   | 408                 | 402                 | 367                 | 87                                 | 91                                 | 69                                 |
| NAGALAND                  | 694                 | 693                 | 694                 | 93                                 | 93                                 | 93                                 |
| ODISHA                    | 6743                | 6797                | 6784                | 1305                               | 1280                               | 1318                               |
| PUNJAB                    | 4286                | 4219                | 4285                | 429                                | 498                                | 430                                |
| RAJASTHAN                 | 25548               | 25542               | 25511               | 1864                               | 1889                               | 1940                               |
| SIKKIM                    | 97                  | 97                  | 97                  | 10                                 | 10                                 | 10                                 |
| TAMIL NADU                | 8126                | 8120                | 8112                | 2184                               | 2190                               | 2199                               |
| TELANGANA                 | _                   | 6929                | 6877                | _                                  | 895                                | 885                                |
| TRIPURA                   | 274                 | 273                 | 272                 | 144                                | 145                                | 146                                |
| UTTARAKHAND               | 1547                | 1550                | 1549                | 221                                | 222                                | 224                                |
| UTTAR PRADESH             | 19075               | 18955               | 18939               | 2893                               | 3027                               | 3046                               |
| WEST BENGAL               | 5673                | 5662                | 5655                | 1822                               | 1834                               | 1842                               |
| ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS | 28                  | 28                  | 28                  | 7                                  | 7                                  | 7                                  |
| CHANDIGARH                | 1                   | 1                   | 1                   | 5                                  | 5                                  | 5                                  |
| DADRA & NAGAR HAVELI      | 24                  | 24                  | 24                  | 4                                  | 4                                  | 4                                  |
| DAMAN & DIU               | 3                   | 3                   | 3                   | 0                                  | 0                                  | 0                                  |
| DELHI                     | 53                  | 53                  | 53                  | 75                                 | 75                                 | 75                                 |
| LAKSHADWEEP               | 2                   | 2                   | 2                   | 1                                  | 1                                  | 1                                  |
| PUDUCHERRY                | 30                  | 30                  | 29                  | 19                                 | 19                                 | 19                                 |
| ALL INDIA                 | 182085              | 181850              | 181886              | 26504                              | 26913                              | 26883                              |

Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Note:'0' relates to the area below 500

Hectares