Lok Sabha Question No. 1432 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-02-12
Subject: Land under Farming in Backward Areas
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: PRATAPRAO GANPATRAO JADHAV

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

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

## LOK  SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1432 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12 TH  FEBRUARY, 2019

## LAND UNDER FARMING IN BACKWARD AREAS

1432.   SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

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

- (a) the total area of arable land under farming in the country especially in the Buldhana Parliamentary Constituency of Maharashtra and other backward areas;
- (b) the details thereof;
- (c) the total area of land that can be brought under farming, State-wise;
- (d) the loss incurred due to non-farming on such land; and
- (e) the steps proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

## 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)  & (b): As per the latest data available on land use statistics, arable / agricultural land  in the country in 2014-15  was 181.88 million hectares. The district wise details of cultivable area of the state of Maharashtra, including the district of Buldhana, for the year 2014-15 is given at Annexure.

(c) to (e): 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 bring  more  area  under  farming.  However,  Government  of  India  supplements  the  efforts  of States, through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.

In  order  to  check  decline  in  the  cultivable  land  /  arable  land  in  the  country,  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  non-agricultural  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 and 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.

With  a  view  to  prevent  soil  erosion,  land  degradation  and  also  to  maintain  balance  in various types of land uses across the country, Government of India is implementing National Mission  for  Sustainable  Agriculture  (NMSA).    Under  this  mission,  all  types  of  land  including wasteland/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  hectares  in  the  last  two decades.

## Annexure

## Annexure referred in part (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 1432 due for reply on 12/02/19

## District-wise details of Agricultural Land in Maharashtra in 2014-15 (latest available)

(Area in '00' ha)

| Sr. No.   | District          | Cultivable / Arable/ Agricultural Land   |
|-----------|-------------------|------------------------------------------|
| 1         | Mumbai Sub        | ─                                        |
| 2         | Thane             | 3247                                     |
| 3         | Raigad            | 3095                                     |
| 4         | Ratnagiri         | 5555                                     |
| 5         | Sindhudurg        | 3486                                     |
| 6         | Nasik             | 10129                                    |
| 7         | Dhule             | 4542                                     |
| 8         | Nandurbar         | 3055                                     |
| 9         | Jalgaon           | 8727                                     |
| 10        | Ahmadnagar        | 13527                                    |
| 11        | Pune              | 10285                                    |
| 12        | Solapur           | 13239                                    |
| 13        | Satara            | 6820                                     |
| 14        | Sangli            | 7158                                     |
| 15        | Kolhapur          | 5062                                     |
| 16        | Aurangabad        | 8201                                     |
| 17        | Jalna             | 7155                                     |
| 18        | Beed              | 9439                                     |
| 19        | Latur             | 6494                                     |
| 20        | Osmanabad         | 6978                                     |
| 21        | Nanded            | 8301                                     |
| 22        | Parbhani          | 5747                                     |
| 23        | Hingoli           | 3975                                     |
| 24        | Buldhana          | 7361                                     |
| 25        | Akola             | 4522                                     |
| 26        | Washim            | 4071                                     |
| 27        | Amravati          | 8141                                     |
| 28        | Yavatmal          | 9527                                     |
| 29        | Wardha            | 4733                                     |
| 30        | Nagpur            | 6386                                     |
| 31        | Bhandara          | 2025                                     |
| 32        | Gondia            | 2153                                     |
| 33        | Chandrapur        | 5317                                     |
| 34        | Gadchiroli        | 2541                                     |
|           | Maharashtra State | 210994                                   |

Source:Agriculture  Department, Government of Maharashtra

******