According to government statistics, the cultivable land in
the country has come down to 182.5 million hectares during 2009-10 compared to
182.7 million tonnes during 2005-06.
Agriculture experts expressed concerns over shrinking of
farm land by nearly 0.2 million hectares and suggested enacting strong
legislation to stop shifting of land for non-farming purposes.
Director General of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural
Research) S Ayyappan said shrinking of farm is a matter of concern.
"Though the shrinking of farm land is not alarming
right now, if the trend continues it can pose difficulty as agriculture is the
mainstay of our economy," he said
Former Union minister and agri expert Y K Alagh said growing
transfer of agricultural land for real estate and other commercial purposes
would seriously harm the primary sector and threaten the country's food security.
Alagh suggested enactment of strong legislations to check
transfer of agri land to non-agricultural usage.
As per the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, land falls
under the purview of state governments and therefore it is for them to bring in
suitable policy/Act/Legislation to check the diversion of agricultural land for
non-agricultural purposes, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar had said in
Parliament last week.
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