Land under farming falls the most in US Nagar in Kumaon

BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, July 23

The Kumaon region has lost over 40,249 hectares of agricultural land in 11 years. Villagers in large numbers have left agriculture. Migration from hill areas and commencement of several infrastructural schemes in the Terai area are said to be the reason behind the scenario.

The data of the state Agricultural Department reveals that the land under agriculture in the Kumaon region in 2004 was 3,63,234 hectares but it reduced to 3,22,985 hectares in 2014.

US Nagar recorded a reduction of 9,966 hectares, the highest in the region, said Gauri Shankar, Director of the Agriculture Department.

US Nagar is followed by Nainital where a total of 4,698 hectares of cultivable land has been left not been cultivated in a decade. The next in the chart is Almora (3,325 hectares), followed by Champawat, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts where a total of 1,810, 444 and 6 hectares, respectively, have been reduced.

Agriculture Department officials attribute the reduction in the land under agriculture to migration. People migrate and shun agriculture mainly due to the menace of wild animals and uneconomical methods of agriculture in hill region. Rapid industrialisation in Udham Singh Nagar is another reason.

Gauri Shankar said the Agriculture Department had several schemes to boost agriculture in the state, including national agricultural development scheme and traditional agricultural developmental scheme. “But these schemes have a little effect on saving the occupation due to several factors,” he added.