Land Use Pattern and Area under different Crops in Assam

Chapter-II: Agricultural Production in Assam: An Overview

2.5: Land Use Pattern and Area under different Crops in Assam

A study of land use pattern is highly essential in order to quantify the availability of land to be used for production. Since land is a scarce factor, efficient, rational and scientific utilization of it in conjunction with the other inputs, like labour, capital and technology are preconditions for raising agricultural production and productivity in a country or region of a country (Das, 1984; Barman, 1985).

Land use pattern in Assam may be classified into urban land use pattern and rural land use pattern. The later is again sub-divided into nine categories, in line with the recommendation of the Standing Advisory Committee on Statistics, F.A.O. and Mamoria (1972)¹⁶. The category-wise availability of land is indicated in the table 2.2 below:

Table-2.2: Trend of Land-Use Pattern in Assam (Area in hectares)

Category of Use 1981-

1991- 92

1998- 99 (P)

2002- 03

2004- 05

2007- 08

2008-09 2009- 10

2011-12

Total Geographical Area according to Surveyor General of India

78.52 lakh

78.44 lakh

78438 00

78.44 lakh

78500 05

7850005

Total Reporting Area according to Village Papers

78.52 lakh

78500 05

78.50 lakh

78500 05

7850005

Forest Area 19.84

lakh (25.27)

19.84 lakh (25.3)

19302 89 (24.6)

19327 18 (24.64)

19540 12 (24.89)

18532 60 (23.61)

1853260 (23.61)

18532 60 (23.61)

1853260 (23.61) Not Available for

Cultivation (Total)*

24.53 lakh (31.24)

24.73 lakh (31.5)

25102 21 (32)

25333 82 (32.27)

25119 77 (32)

24345 78 (31.2)

26.26 lakh (33.45 )

26255 45 (33.45)

2620445 (33.38)

(i) Land put to non- agricultural uses

9.12 lakh (11.61)

10.13 lakh (12.9)

10513 81

10805 70

10647 00

10265 36

10.30 lakh (13.12)

10265 36

1021050 (13.01)

15 Summer rice: Sown during the winter season and usually it is cultivated on irrigated land. It is less exposed to production risk. As a result, the yield of summer rice is relatively more (Goswami, 2014).

16 (i) forests, (ii) barren and uncultivable lands. (iii) lands put to non-agricultural uses, (iv) cultivable waste lands, (v) permanent pastures and grazing lands, (vi) lands under miscellaneous tree crops and groves, (vii) fallow lands other than current fallows, (viii) current fallows, and (ix) net area sown. The urban land use, on the other hand, includes the area under municipalities, town committees and other urban areas. This falls under the category of area not available for cultivation (Gopalakrishnan, 2000).

(13.4) ^(13.78) ^(13.56) (13.1) ^(13.08) (ii) Barren and

uncultivable land

15.41 lakh (19.63)

14.60 lakh (18.6)

14588 40 (18.9)

14528 12 (18.5)

14472 77 (18.44)

14080 42 (17.94)

14.25 lakh (18.15)

14080 42 (17.94)

1408380 (17.94)

Other Uncultivated Land Excluding Fallow Land (Total)

5.36 lakh (6.83)

4.72 lakh (6.02)

48296 0 (6.15)

44525 5 (5.67)

40377 1 (5.14)

4.32lakh (5.5)

43243 9 (5.51)

433539 (5.52)

(i) Cultivable waste lands

1.04 lakh (1.32)

1.04 lakh (1.3)

80194 (1.02)

76631 (0.98)

74319 (0.95)

0.77 lakh (0.98)

76631 (0.98)

78031 (0.99)

(ii) Permanent pastures and other grazing lands

1.84 lakh (2.34)

1.65 lakh (2.1)

16696 8 (2.13)

15996 8 (2.04)

15643 6 (1.99)

1.58 lakh (2.01)

15996 8 (2.04)

159668 (2.04)

(iii) Lands under miscellaneous trees and groves

2.47 lakh (3.15)

2.3 lakh (2.93)

23579 8 (3)

20865 6 (2.66)

17301 6 (2.2)

2.09 lakh (2.66)

19584 0 (2.49)

195840 (2.49)

Total Fallow Land 1.72 lakh (2.2)

1.72 lakh (2.2)

22548 2 (2.87)

18565 6 (2.37)

18578 2 (2.37)

16959 7 (2.16)

1.57 lakh (2.00)

12816 4 (1.63)

132164 (1.68)

(i) Fallow lands other than current fallows,

0.84 lakh (1.07)

0.80 lakh (1.02)

81710 (1.04)

62293 (0.79)

59394 (0.76)

52191 (0.66)

49557 (0.63)

49582 (0.63)

51582 (0.66) (ii) Current fallows

land

0.88 lakh (1.12)

0.82 lakh (1.05)

14377 2 (1.83)

12336 3 (1.57)

12638 8 (1.61)

11740 6 (1.5)

1.28 lakh (1.63)

78582 (1.00)

80582 (1.03)

Land Under Cultivation - 29.82 lakh (38.0)

- 27.74 lakh (35.33)

- - - - -

Uncultivated area - 48.70

lakh(

62.0)

- 50.76 lakh (64.7)

- - - - -

Net Area Sown (NAS) 27.06 lakh (35.1)

27.81 lakh (35.4)

27010 53 (34.41)

27529 94 (35.07)

27529 79 (35.07)

28.10 lakh (35.8)

28105 97 (35.8)

2810597 (35.80)

Total Cropped Area (excluding tea)

34.60 lakh (44.07)

39.26 (50.0)

39406 49 (50.2)

39580 65 (50.42)

38963 51 (49.64)

38387 32 (48.90)

39.99 lakh (50.94)

41050 93 (52.3)

4174023 (53.17)

Area sown more than once within the year(% of NAS)

7.54 lakh (27.86)

11.45 lakh (41.1)

12395 96 (45.89)

12050 71 (43.77)

11433 72 (41.53)

10857 53 (39.44)

11.9 lakh (42.35)

12944 96 (46.06)

1363426 (48.51)

Note:*Area under non-agricultural uses

(i) Figure under bracket in percent to Total Geographical Area and in case of area sown more than once it is from NAS

(ii) Net area sown is net operational area. It is not necessarily the area available for cultivation which can be greater as it will include area available but not used.

(iii) Gross cropped area is net area sown plus area sown more than once.

Source: (i) Statistical Hand Book Assam (2002, 2014), (ii) Economic Survey, Assam (2010-11), (iii) Dhar (2007) (iv) NEDFi DATA BANK (2003) and (v) Percentages calculated by author

The table 2.2 reveals that total geographical area of Assam is estimated at 78.50 lakh hectares. Total area under forest has declined from 19.84 lakh hectares (25.3%) in 1991- 92 to 18.53 lakh hectares (23.61%) in 2011-12 while land not available for cultivation has increased from 24.73 lakh hectares (31.53%) to 26.20 lakh hectares (33.38%) during this period due to increase of land in non-agricultural uses. It is seen that there is considerable area under barren and uncultivable land, 14.08 lakh hectares (17.94%) in the state in 2011-12. This land is mainly swamps and hills. Moreover, other uncultivated land excluding fallow land decreased from 6.83 percent in 1981-82 to 5.52 percent in 2011-12. Current fallows and other fallows decreased from 2.2 percent in 1981-82 to 1.68 percent in 2011-12 of the total area in the state. Assam has about 80000 hectares cultivable waste land.

Total land area under cultivation in Assam has decreased from 38.0 percent to 35.33 percent during 1991-2003. And it is declining due to encroachment of human habitation, road and railway network, canals, industries and urban centres and also due to degradation caused by soil erosion and water logging. Net sown area in the state (71.71%

of the GCA) has remained almost same while total cropped area of the state has increased little from 50.0 percent in 1991-92 to 53.17 percent in 2011-12.

Since the forest land in the state has already been reduced and it remains below the minimum 33.3 percent of total geographical area of the state, there is no scope for further extension of arable land into the forest land. Most of the barren and uncultivable lands exist in Karbi Anglong and Dima Hasao districts of Assam. In order to render this category of land cultivable, huge cost is necessary. Thus, the scope for extension of area under cultivation in the state is limited and the urgent need is to increase the efficiency of existing resources in the state (Gopalakrishnan, 2000).

From the above analysis, it is amply clear that scope for the physical expansion of land in Assam is limited; the main emphasis, therefore, should be laid on intensification

of agriculture to increase the productivity per hectare on the existing cultivable area in coming decades (Das, 2012).

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