The Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has recorded a steady increase in its cultivable land over the past five years, with the area under cultivation-related land rising from 10.74 lakh hectares in 2020-21 to 10.97 lakh hectares in 2024-25.
In a written reply to a question of Sunil Kumar regarding the details of the total cultivable land available in the country during the last five years, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ramnath Thakur, said that the data, sourced from the Land Use Statistics at a Glance 2024-25, show that the cultivable land in Jammu and Kashmir increased by 23,000 hectares, or around 2.1 per cent, during the period under review.
The data indicate that the area under cultivable land in the Union Territory stood at 1,074 thousand hectares (10.74 lakh hectares) in 2020-21.
It increased marginally to 1,075 thousand hectares in 2021-22 before witnessing a more significant rise to 1,094 thousand hectares in 2022-23.
The upward trend continued, with cultivable land reaching 1,095 thousand hectares in 2023-24 and further increasing to 1,097 thousand hectares in 2024-25, according to provisional figures.
Jammu and Kashmir’s increase contrasts with the overall national trend. At the all-India level, cultivable land declined from 180.266 million hectares in 2020-21 to 179.428 million hectares in 2024-25, a reduction of nearly 838,000 hectares.
Among the major states, Rajasthan continued to have the largest area classified as cultivable land at 25.442 million hectares, followed by Maharashtra at 20.371 million hectares, Madhya Pradesh at 17.402 million hectares and Uttar Pradesh at 18.321 million hectares.
The government defines cultivable or agricultural land as comprising net area sown, current fallows, fallow land other than current fallows, culturable wasteland and land under miscellaneous tree crops.
Agricultural households in J&K earn above national average
Replying to another question regarding the details of the average income of an agricultural household during the last five years, the Minister said that the number and average monthly income of agricultural households in the
country are periodically estimated through the “Situation Assessment Survey (SAS) of Agricultural Households”, conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
As per the latest Situation Assessment Survey (January, 2019 – December, 2019) conducted by MoSPI through 77th round of NSS in the rural areas, the estimated number of rural households in the country is 17.24 crore , out of which 9.30 crore are agricultural households, constituting about 54 per cent of the total rural households in the country.
These agricultural households derive their livelihood primarily through agricultural activities. As per Situation Assessment Survey, the average income per agricultural household from various sources was estimated at Rs. 10,218/- per month.
“Since the last SAS was conducted in 2019, the extent of average monthly income per agricultural household during the last three years is not available,” the minister said.
The Lok Sabha data also shed light on the income of agricultural households in Jammu and Kashmir.
According to the NSS Report No. 587, based on the Situation Assessment of Agricultural Households and Land and Livestock Holdings of Households in Rural India, the average monthly income of an agricultural household in Jammu and Kashmir was Rs 18,918 during the agricultural year July 2018-June 2019.
This was substantially higher than the all-India average of Rs 10,218 recorded during the same period.
Jammu and Kashmir’s average monthly agricultural household income was also higher than that of several agriculturally important states, including Uttar Pradesh (Rs 8,061), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 8,339), Rajasthan (Rs 12,520) and Maharashtra (Rs 11,492).
However, some states reported higher agricultural household incomes. Punjab topped the list among the states at Rs 26,701 per month, followed by Haryana at Rs 22,841 and Meghalaya at Rs 29,348.
The government data underline the distinctive position of Jammu and Kashmir, where the area classified as cultivable land has expanded gradually despite the overall decline in cultivable land at the national level.
The increase in cultivable land also assumes significance for the Union Territory’s agricultural economy, where farming and allied activities remain important sources of livelihood, particularly in rural areas.