(a) the total area of cultivable land in Uttar Pradesh on which farming is being done as on date, the details thereof;
(b) the details of cultivable land, State-wise;
(c) the area of extra land on which farming can be carried out, State-wise;
(d) the extent of loss occurred due to farming not being done on such land; and
(e) the corrective steps proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?
MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
???? ??? ????? ?????? ?????? (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)
(a) to (c): As per the publication Land Use Statistics for 2014-15 (latest available), the State-wise details of: (i) cultivated land (area of cultivable land on which farming is done) (ii) agricultural land (cultivable land) and (iii) the land which is cultivable but where farming is not being done which is the difference between (ii) and (i) are at Annex I.
(d) & (e): India has the highest arable land in the world as per the data released by FAO for the year 2016. The extent of loss occurred due to farming not being done on such land is not maintained centrally, as agriculture is a State subject. It is the domain responsibility of the State governments to take necessary steps for bringing more area under cultivation. Government of India supplements the efforts of States, through appropriate policy measures and budgetary support.
In order to check decline in the arable 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
Contd…2/-
-2-
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 Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) from the financial year 2015-16.
The ICAR has developed location specific bio-engineering soil & water conservation measure, land management techniques, soil reclamation measures for saline, alkali, waterlogged and acid soils, selection of suitable crops including agroforestry interventions and other practices like integrated nutrient management, supplementary/protective irrigation to make barren/ waste lands fertile and cultivable. The ICAR also imparts training, organises Front Line Demonstrations (FLDs) etc, to educate farmers on all these aspects.