Imphal, September 07, 2010: Ten to twenty percent of agricultural land in Manipur has been utilized for other purposes during the last decade and if the trend is not checked; it will have a great impact in food production in the state, according to agricultural experts.

According to a report from the state agriculture department, the total agricultural area of the state (both in valley and hills) is around 1,95,000 hetares while the state needs to produce 25 lakh tones of rice in a year to feed its 25 lakh population estimating a consumption of 210 kg of rice a head a year.

The utilization of agricultural land for other purposes by the government and individuals has been on the rise in the last 10 years, particularly in the valley area.

As a result of it, the production of food grain has decreased.

Cultivable lands are being utilised for construction of government offices, private schools and brick fields in the main.

Concerned by the unchecked utilization of cultivable lands for other purposes, Head of Agronomy Department of the Central Agricultural University (CAU), Iroishemba, Prof Dr L Nabachandra suggested that unless a law is enforced by the government to deal with land utilization specially cultivable lands, it will be difficult to control the shrinking agricultural land in the state.

One of the most unfortunate things is that construction of offices and installation of projects are concentrated only at the cultivable land areas instead of developing the same at the foothills, he said.

The head of department further observed that in the last few years, farmers of the state have been taking a keen interest in food grain production, the concern is that when there is no cultivable land, where will they cultivate crops, he asked.

If government fails to make a law to prevent conversion of agricultural land for other purposes, people can also raise a voice like the drives and campaigns launched by NGOs and other civil organisations against intoxicated items and alcohol, Dr Nabachandra observed.

Deputy Director (Planning), Agriculture Department, G Shamu Kabui, who felt the same concern on the shrinking of agricultural land, said that utilization of agricultural land for other purposes has been detected mostly in the four valley districts than in the hill districts.

No survey has been officially conducted by any government agency, but his department has observed maximum conversion in Thoubal and Imphal West districts, he added.

To take up developmental projects, government has been acquiring cultivable lands despite strong opposition from the people, mostly the farmers.

Mention may be made of the acquisition of lands for expansion of Imphal Airport at Malom and for expansion of Power sub-station at Yurembam, both in Imphal west district.

Suppressing the resistance of the residents of the area, Manipur government acquired 644 acres of land and handed it over to AAI.

Process for acquiring another 45.88 acres is in progress.

Vast paddy fields had been acquired by the government while setting up the Gas Bottling Plant at Awang Sekmai in Imphal west apart from moving ahead with the take over of paddy fields in the surrounding areas of the power sub-station at Yurembam as demanded by the Power Grid Corporation of India.

Over and above this, survey works for extension of Jiribam-Tupul railway line upto Imphal which would pass through a long stretch of paddy fields from Tamenglong district to Imphal West district has also been completed recently.

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