Between year 2007 & 2011; 2,60,000 Hectares of cultivable land became uncultivable in Odisha

The world wide statistics on farm output places India in 2^nd rank. Agriculture in India accounted for a 16.6 %of its GDP in year 2009. Agriculture, forestry & fishery clubbed together provide for the employment of about 50 % of the total work force of India. You could take any year when India has had a good monsoon and check on the sensex, the ascending graph will tell you the correlation story. Agriculture is a significant economic sector and plays the major role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India.

In accordance to the agriculture statistics of 2010,  India is the world's largest producer of many fresh fruits, many vegetables, milk, spices select fresh meats, select fibrous crops such as jute, several staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice. India is also a world's leading producers of dry fruits. India ranks within the world's five largest producers of over 80 % of agricultural produce items, including many cash crops such as coffee and cotton, in year 2010. India was also in the list of the world's five largest producers of livestock and poultry meat, that too with the fastest growth rates.

Year 2011, witnessed a normal monsoon but it did not deter the Indian agriculturists from accomplishing an all-time record production of 85.9 million tonnes of wheat, a 6.4 % increase from that of year 2010. In year 2011 the rice output in India also hit a new record at 95.3 million tonnes, a 7 % increase from the year before. Lentils and many other staple food productions also increased year over year. Indian farmers thus produced about 71 kilograms of wheat and 80 kilograms of rice for every member of Indian population in 2011.

I strongly believe that a nation’s progress majorly depends on its political will. If the ‘political will’ swings in the correct direction then it brings in a positive atmosphere. I mentioned all the above stated statistics only to bring home a fact to you that the period mentioned is the ‘time’ just after the farmer loan waiver had been allowed by the UPA-1 government. The dividends of the said loan waiver were reaped not just by the Congress party but by the nation as in all.

That was an example of a positive political will now let me bring to you another political will which would not only take us down but will make us run towards destruction. The agriculture minister of India on the 13^th of Aug `2013 gave us a figure of 7, 90,000 hectares; this much of land has been changed from cultivable land to un-cultivable land in years between 2007 & 2011, which is four years. The same report infamously places Odisha in the number one position for converting cultivable land to uncultivable land. The Odisha figure reads at 2,60,000 hectares. This is an alarm situation and we must wake up before it gets too late.

Yes, urbanization is required, industries are required but at what cost? With the Food security act and several subsidized food programs being doled out for about 67% of India’s population we can not ignore the production of food in our country. This sharp decline in cultivable land in Odisha is a strong signal for immediate correction. Freebies like mobiles, dark glasses, shoes etc. for the farmers might fetch a few votes in the forth coming elections but the future will be murdered if things are not corrected on an immediate basis.  Hope the Governing side of Odisha wakes up and not only puts an end to the loss of cultivable land but also bring in correction methods for replenishing the loss which has already been caused due to this huge mistake of allowing the depletion in cultivable land in Odisha.