source of livelihood for over 70 % of J & K ’ s population . These sectors contribute nearly 50 % to Gross Domestic State Product ( GSDP ). Despite the fact that foodgrain production in the erstwhile state has trebled since 1950-51 , it still meets 40 % of foodgrains and 20 % of vegetable requirements through supplies from outside .
The net sown area of 7.35 lakh hectares constitutes 35 % of the reported area , against the national average of 46 %. The Jammu region yields high quality rice , wheat , maize , pulses and oilseeds , while the Kashmir region is known for its production of high-quality paddy and maize in addition to temperate fruits and commercial crops , like saffron , almonds , walnuts , peaches , cherries , apples etc .
Significant progress has been made in the field of horticulture . The area of land under fruit cultivation has increased from 12.4 thousand hectares in 1953-54 to 3.25 lakh hectares at present . Fruit cultivation has reached an all-time high of 22 lakh tonnes now as compared to 16 thousand tonnes in 1953-54 . J & K constitutes 60 % of apple production in India .
Over the past two decades , agricultural land in J & K has been shirking as a result of diversion of agricultural land for rapid urbanisation . In addition , agricultural focus has gradually shifted from cultivation of foodgrains to commercial and cash crops . Peasants have increasingly found cultivation of paddy to be unsustainable . As a result , they have been switching to horticulture . Kulgam , once regarded as a rice bowl of Kashmir , is on the way to losing this status . Paddy land is swiftly being converted for housing , horticulture and industrial purposes , drastically reducing the production of rice . This phenomenon is not only restricted to Kulgam but is seen throughout the Valley .
10
Given that rice is the staple food of people in J & K , a dependence on supplies from outside is a cause for concern from the perspective of food security . From an estimated annual requirement of around 11 lakh tonnes of rice , of which only 5.5 lakh tonnes is met by rice production within J & K , the shortfall is met through supplies from neighbouring states . According to reports , production of rice , wheat and mustard has reduced by 6 %, 4 % and 4 %, respectively . Apart from changing cropping patterns and land use conversion , climate change has affected productivity in Kashmir .
As a result of the new farm laws , cultivation of foodgrains in J & K is bound to take yet another hit . Commercial crops , including apples , almond , walnut , peach , cherry , and saffron will witness an escalation in demand , as this category will increase export prospects , generating greater profits for farmers and private players .
On the other side , cultivation of ‘ essential ’ crops , including wheat , rice , maize , pulses etc . will plummet . No mention of MSP ( minimum support price ) and competition from states , such as Punjab and Haryana , will discourage peasants from cultivating this category of crops .
Warning of the far-reaching impact of the new legislations , lawyers at J & K High Court , Viqas Malik and Romaan Muneeb , wrote : “ The Proposed Act may leave a tangible impact on the UT of J & K as the farmers might soon shift from Paddy and Maize farming to alternate yields prospecting better monetary compensation ; so in 10 years from now while driving across the highway if you don ’ t find men and women ankle deep water weeding out rice ; just recall what happened 10 years back .”
UNABATED CONVERSION OF AGRICULTURAL LAND
In 2015 , A senior official from the Department of Agriculture blamed successive regimes for failing to prevent conversion of agricultural land and said : “ The government is non-serious to stop this land conversion ; otherwise colonies with authorised permission won ’ t come on paddy land in Srinagar or in other districts .”
Since then , Kashmir has lost around 17 % ( 78,700 hectares ) of its agricultural land in four years between 2015-2019 . Official data suggests that from 4,67,700 hectares in 2015 , agricultural land has shrunk to 3,98,000 hectares in 2019 . Land under paddy cultivation has reduced by 5.4 % from 148,000 hectares in 2015 to 140,000 hectares in 2018 . Similarly , land under maize cultivation has reduced by 24 % from 100,000 hectares to 76,000 hectares .
Being a land-scarce state due to mountainous terrain , the percentage of cultivable land to ‘ reported area for land utilisation ’ was only 26 % in 2015-16 . Over the years , as a result of shrinking agricultural land , the size of landholdings has reduced to 0.54 hectares ( in comparison with the national average of 1.66 hectares ). According to the Economic Survey 2014-15 , arable land in J & K has shrunk from 0.14 hectare perperson in 1981 to 0.08 hectare perperson in 2001 and further to 0.06 hectare per-person in 2012 . All of these factors have made farming non-remunerative for the peasantry . It is not surprising that the state has been facing a deficit in food and is increasingly dependent on food supplies from neighbouring states .
Tracing the discourse on land policy of the state , two parallel and paradoxical trends come to the fore . While on one hand , the sharp decline in agricultural land has raised alarm bells in official circles
Class Struggle