Shiban Khaibri
Despite the fact that the state of Jammu and Kashmir having a population of 1.26 crores and being basically an agrarian economy, is importing food grains and all required edible items from other states and the current scenario is that, day in and day out, the pressure on the scarce land is mounting for non agricultural uses. It may look incredible but it is only a fact that our state has become a food deficit state by as much as nearly 40% and if remedial measures are not immediately taken, it might take a worst scenario by crossing the figures of 50% by 2030. A meager amount of Rs.1095 crores or 3.74% of the total budget is proposed to be spent on Agriculture and allied activities as per the provisions of the state budget of 2013-14. This does not include the massive central assistance in this sector for schemes like Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojna (RKVY), saffron growing mission, technology improvement mission and animal husbandry sector. In the views of the state agricultural minister, the avoidable situation has accentuated because of the conversion of agricultural land for commercial use as also switching over to horticulture sector by most of the farmers engaged in conventional core agricultural activities. The other sordid story about the participation in the agricultural activities is that only a meager 28% of the people are involved in agricultural activities. Also the percentage of cultivation has climbed down to 28% in 2011 from 41.10 in 1961. There has been considerable decrease in the number of cultivators and that was bound to aggravate the problem of shortfall in the food production. There has been no comprehensive study undertaken to account for the reasons responsible for lesser number of people taking to farming. The other interesting factor is that many from among the farming sections especially in the valley are not seen interested in carrying out cultivation of their own agricultural land and do employ labour force from other states. The national figures too are not encouraging that way and as per the census of 2011, absolute number of cultivators has fallen by 90 lacs in just two decades while proportion of agricultural labour has increased by 3.5% which could be explained by the falling size of land holdings over the period under reference.
If we could really visualize that land is that which is supplied by nature and is not, not even in the least, made by man, perhaps we could value its utility in countless magnitude. It supports and sustains our lives, every aspect of it — right from our birth to our death. Land is sacrosanct to the civilization, culture and all institutions of the mankind. The stark fact , however, about land is that it is absolutely fixed in supply, completely inelastic and cannot be made, manufactured or reproduced. That also speaks about the dangers, the unbearable pressures, the fixed land has to undergo as a result of catering to the needs of the ever increasing human population. How much can we milk the existing, rather shrinking land for producing enough to feed teeming millions, not only existing ones, but those which are getting added every year to it, is a very sensitive question having far reaching ramifications. It also cannot be made mobile. Then how come is the agricultural land getting converted into non agricultural uses in brazen violations of the existing laws, not to speak of the new bills thought of to be introduced in the state legislature for prohibiting such conversions?
Shocking, as it may appear, the lush green paddy fields from Qazigund down to Pampore in Kashmir valley and likewise in other southern, western and eastern sides of the valley have considerably shrunk and replaced by buildings , business establishments and shopping rows. Same is the position, though not to the alarming extent, in Jammu division, be it Jammu Bari Brahmana Vijaypur or Jammu R S.Pura or Jammu Srinagar national highway areas . Coming up of new unplanned colonies on agricultural land has and is causing huge impact on the food production. In Jammu division, however, the production of food grains has not suffered as it has been in Kashmir valley. The reasons other than conversion are construction of roads and bridges from out of the agricultural land, the acquisition of massive chunks of land for laying railway lines, industrial estates and the like. The fragmentation of joint families and increase in nuclear families has resulted in massive increase in demand for housing projects and colonies. The increase in money incomes and improved life styles in many cases too have led to drop in labour intensive and time and energy requiring core agricultural activities and such farmers either are turning to cultivating cash crops or going in for horticulture area. About growing of vegetables, the production is not sufficient to cater to the needs of the state including for the tourists visiting the state in lacs in peak months, resulting in the import of vegetables from other states resulting in them being sold in the market comparatively at unaffordable prices by the common people with fixed incomes. Many erstwhile famous varieties of vegetables grown in specific areas are not grown at all and have vanished as housing colonies have sprung up there.
Though there are several laws in the statute to protect agricultural land from illegal conversions like Land Revenue Act, Agrarian Reforms Act, Prohibition of conversion of land and alienation of orchards act, still a need was felt some three years back to bring in a stringent law to prohibit conversion of agricultural land and a bill was drafted and introduced in the Legislative Assembly in 2011 which was referred to the select committee. As is wont with the state leadership to act in a lackadaisical style in such matters, more than two years have gone but there has been absolutely no progress in the matter while the existing laws too have been very rarely invoked against the defaulters. It is a travesty that the members on the select committee could not develop consensus on the subject even after three extensions were obtained by them. The bill having thereafter gone to the Joint Select Committee for consideration in the budget session 2013 has reportedly not met even once so far. The critics and analysts may argue that there being sufficiently enough laws in force already which prohibit conversion of any type of agricultural land, going in for a new enactment and that too not known when, is tantamount to allowing things to go the other way. The state as a policy matter, has been preparing district plans for the last 30 years aiming to strengthen the decentralization of planning process but agricultural sector does not seem to have been given the required preferred attention. If some bold steps are not taken irrespective of pressures or considerations from whatever quarters to stop further shrinkage of agricultural land, things might get worse in the years to come.
Trending Now
E-Paper
Follow our WhatsApp channel