Economic Impact of Land Shrinkage on Agriculture in India

For the development of agricultural sector, land is an important input. Hence, this paper has assessed the impact of land shrinkage on agriculture in India. The secondary data about land-use pattern, production and productivity of agricultural crops were collected for various sources from the period 2000–01 to 2012–13. The study has revealed that the land shrinkage, which was 53.77 per cent in 2004, came down to 53.12 per cent in 2010, indicating that land shrinkage has increased over the years in India. The availability of cultivable land has decreased over the years at the rate of 0.086 and the average size of operational holding has reduced from 2.28 ha in 1970–71 to 1.16 ha in 2010–11 in India. Across the states, the land shrinkage was noticed highest in West Bengal (−0.56%), followed by Haryana (−0.42%). The study has revealed that the growth rates of production (2.58%) and productivity (1.91%) of food grains have increased over the years, may be due to adoption of improved technology. Therefore, shrinkage of agricultural land is not alarming at present, but if the decline continues, it will affect our food production and also our food security.