Lok Sabha Question No. 1306 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-07-27
Subject: Scarcity of Cultivable Land
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Ashok Kumar Rawat

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1306

TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 27 TH  JULY, 2021

## SCARCITY OF CULTIVABLE LAND

1306. SHRI ASHOK KUMAR RAWAT:

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

- (a) whether  the  cultivable  land  is  becoming  grossly  scare  in  the  country  with  the passage of time, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the disinterest towards agriculture and the development of urbanisation are responsible therefor;
- (c) if so, the steps taken by the Government to control such a trend?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

कृ ष एवं कसान कयाण मंी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

- (a) to (b): As per report on Land Use Statistics for 2017-18 (latest available), the details of cultivable land for the last five years are given in table below.

## (Million hectares)

| Year    |   Cultivable land |
|---------|-------------------|
| 2013-14 |            181.85 |
| 2014-15 |            181.83 |
| 2015-16 |            181.6  |
| 2016-17 |            181.13 |
| 2017-18 |            181.07 |

The reduction in percentage of agricultural land has been mainly due to diversion of land  for  non-agricultural  purposes  such  as  urbanization,  roads,  industries,  housing  etc. While there is shift in agricultural land for non agricultural purposes, non-agricultural land is also being brought under agricultural uses.

(c): As  per  the  Seventh  Schedule  of  Constitution  of  India,  land  comes  under  the purview of State Governments and, therefore, it is for them to take suitable steps to control /  restrict  the  loss  of  agricultural  land.  However,  Government  of  India  supplements  the efforts  of  States,  through  appropriate  policy  measures.  In  order  to  check  decline  in  the cultivable area 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.

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  Development  Component  of  the  Pradhan  Mantri Krishi  Sinchayee  Yojana  (PMKSY)  from  the  financial year 2015-16  principally for development  of  rainfed  portions  of  net  cultivated  area  and  culturable  wastelands.  The activities being undertaken through the watershed development projects inter alia include ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rain water harvesting, nursery raising, afforestation, horticulture, pasture development, livelihoods for asset less persons etc.

In order to bring waste/degraded land into cultivation, Indian Council of Agricultural Research  (ICAR)  has  developed  several  location  specific  bio-engineering  measures  to check  soil  erosion  due  to  run-off  of  rain  water,  sand  dune  stabilization  and  shelter  belt technology to check  wind erosion, reclamation technology for saline, sodic, waterlogged and  acid  soils  in  the  country.  Agro  forestry  intervention  has  also  been  suggested.  The ICAR  also  imparts  training,  organises  Frontline  Demonstrations  (FLDs)  etc.  to  educate farmers on all these aspects.

## *******