Cultivable land in Odisha continued to shrink between 2007-08 and 2010-11 as per the latest data from the Union Agriculture Ministry.
As many as 20 States reported a decrease in cultivable land to the extent of 790,000 hectares in four years from 2007-08 to 2010-11. Odisha topped among these States as it lost around 260,000 hectares of cultivable land in these four years.
The main cause of this issue is diversion of cultivable land for non-agricultural purposes, including constructions, industries and other development activities. The data were shared by the Agriculture Ministry in response to a question in lok Sabha on August 13.
The data show that five States have taken some steps to increase the areas under cultivation. Gujarat, Manipur, Mizoram, Jammu & Kashmir and Arunachal Pradesh are the States in which the areas of cultivable land have increased during 2007-08 to 2010-11. Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh are the top five States where there was decline of the areas under cultivation.
Notably, under the National Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy (NRRP)-2007, the States were advised that acquisition of agricultural land for non-agricultural use should be kept to the minimum; multi-cropped land should be avoided to the extent possible for such purposes and acquisition of irrigated land. But Odisha and most of the States have not followed the norms set by the Centre under the NRRP.