The latest provisional Agriculture Census shows that the average size of farmlands in Goa decreased by 30 per cent in five years
India witnessed a jump in the number of operational farmlands between 2010-11 and 2015-16, but the same period also saw the average size of these land holdings and the area they cover take a dip, shows the provisional Agriculture Census released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
The total number of operational holdings in the country increased from 138 million in 2010-11 to 146 million in 2015-16, which is a 5.33 per cent growth. But the average of size of these holdings went down to 1.08 hectares (ha) from 1.15 ha in 2010-11. Also, the area of operational Indian farmlands, the holdings which are partially or wholly used for agriculture, reduced from 159.59 million ha in 2010-11 to 157.14 million ha in 2015-16, which is a decrease of 1.53%.
In fact, a closer look at the government report shows that the decrease in average size of farmlands has been the most in Goa (28.9 per cent), followed by Sikkim (20.4%). In Goa, it’s the small and marginal farmers who have been most involved in this land fragmentation as the average size of land they possess has registered a decrease of 55.44 per cent.
Similarly, in Sikkim, the maximum decrease in the size of operational holdings has been found to be amongst farmers that have medium-size land pieces, the average size of which has reduced by 57.69 per cent in five years.
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