All India Report on Number and Area of operational holdings – 2010-11

All India Report on Number and Area of operational holdings –
2010-11
1. Introduction
The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India conducts Agriculture Census,
quinquennially, to collect data on operational holdings in the country. The
reference period for Agriculture Census is the Agricultural year (July-
June). Being the ultimate unit for taking agriculture-related decisions,
operational holding has been taken as statistical unit at micro-level for
data collection.
The first Agriculture Census in the country was conducted with
reference year 1970-71. So far, eight Agriculture Censuses have been
conducted in the country. The current Agriculture Census with reference
year 2010-11 is ninth in the series.
The provisional results for first Phase of the current Census were
released at State and all India level in October, 2012. After, scrutinizing
the results at District/Tehsil level, this database has now been finalized
and is being published in the form of an All India Report on number and
area of operational holdings.
2. Methodology
Agriculture Census is conducted in three distinct Phases.In Phase-
I of the Census,data on primary characteristics like number of operational
holdings and area operated by different size classes (marginal, small,
semi-medium, medium and large), social groups (SC, ST, Others), gender
(male/female), types of holding (individual, joint and institutional),is
collected. This operation covers all villages in land record States and 20
per cent of the villages in non-land record States.
In land record States, data for Phase-I of the Census is retabulated
from the existing land records maintained by the Revenue Agency of the
State. In other States(non-land record States) and UTs viz. Kerala,
Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Orissa, Tripura, Sikkim, West Bengal,
Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep and Mizoram,
data is collected on household enquiry approach from the selected 20
percent sample villages which are same as those selected for the scheme
Establishment of an Agency for Reporting of Agricultural Statistics
(EARAS) for the reference year of the Census. Punjab, though a land
Agriculture Census 2010-11
5
record State follows the procedure for data collection as in case of nonland
States.
In the Land Record States, the data on the number and area of
holdings is collected in the specified schedules using the land records as
benchmark. However, as per the concepts and definitions followed in the
Census, effort is made to obtain the de facto position rather than de jure
position. A number of parcels of land scattered within a tehsil but
operated by an individual or a single household are clubbed together to
make a single holding. Similarly, such holdings on which partitions had
taken place in practice, though not legally, are counted as separate
holdings. The list of operational holdings is manually sorted according to
social groups, viz. SCs, STs and others, of the holder and size of the
holding at village level. Since, 1995-96 Census, data on gender of the
holder are also collected. Various tables prepared at village level are then
aggregated at Taluka, District, State and finally at all India level.
During Phase-II of the Census, holding schedule is canvassed in
selected 20 percent villages in each tehsil for collecting detailed data on
characteristics of operational holdings such as irrigation status, tenancy
particulars, cropping pattern, dispersal of holdings etc. In Phase - III,
popularly known as Input Survey, relates to collection of data on the
pattern of input use across various crops, regions and size groups of
holdings. This survey is conducted in 7 percent of villages selected in
each tehsil. The sampling procedure, however, varies from State to State,
depending upon the size and other relevant characters of the State/UT.
3. Highlights of the Report on Number and Area ofOperational
Holdings, 2010-11:
3.1 As per the Agriculture Census, 2010-11, the total number of
operational holdings in the country has increased from 129.22 million in
2005-06 to 138.35 million 2010-11 i.e. an increase of 7.06 %.
3.2 There is a marginal increase in the operated area from 158.32
million ha. in 2005-06 to 159.59 million ha. in 2010-11 showing an
increase of 0.80%. The operated area has primarily increased because the
State of Jharkhand participated for the first time in Agriculture Census
operation in 2010-11 after the State came into being in the year 2000.
Agriculture Census 2010-11
6
3.3 The average size of operational holding has declined to 1.15 ha. in
2010-11 as compared to 1.23 ha. in 2005-06.
3.4 The percentage share of female operational holders has increased
from 11.70 in 2005-06 to 12.78 in 2010-11 with the corresponding
operated area of 9.33 to 10.34.
3.5 The small and marginal holdings taken together (below 2.00 ha.)
constituted 85.01 percent in 2010-11 against 83.29 in 2005-06 and the
operated area at 44.58 percent in the current Census as against the
corresponding figure of 41.14 percent in 2005-06.
3.6 The semi-medium and medium operational holding (2.00 ha. –
10.00 ha.) in 2010-11 were 14.29 percent with the operated area at 44.88
percent. The corresponding figures for 2005-06 Census were 15.86
percent and 47.05 percent.
3.7 The large holdings (10.00 ha. & above) were 0.70 percent of total
number of holdings in 2010-11 with a share of 10.59 percent in the
operated area as against 0.85 percent and 11.82 percent respectively in
2005-06 Census.
3.8 Out of 35 States/UTs in the country it was found that 13 States viz.
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal accounted for about 91% in terms of number of
operational holdings with a share of about 88% in operated area in
2010-11.
3.9 In a total of 138.35 million operational holdings in the country, the
highest one belonged to Uttar Pradesh (23.33 million) followed by Bihar
(16.19 million), Maharashtra (13.70 million), Andhra Pradesh (13.18
million), Madhya Pradesh (8.87 million), Tamil Nadu (8.12 million),
Karnataka (7.83 million), West Bengal (7.12 million), Rajasthan (6.89
million), Kerala (6.83 million) etc. with the lowest of only 714
operational holdings in U.T. of Chandigarh.
3.10 Out of a total of 159.59 million hectares operated area in the
country in 2010-11, the highest contribution was made by Rajasthan
(21.14 million ha.) followed by Maharashtra (19.77 million ha.), Uttar
Pradesh (17.62 million ha.), Madhya Pradesh (15.84 million ha.), Andhra
Pradesh (14.29 million ha.), Karnataka (12.16 million ha.), Gujarat (9.90
million ha.) etc. with the lowest operated area of 923 hectares in U.T. of
Agriculture Census 2010-11
7
Chandigarh. The U.T. of Chandigarh, thus, constituted the lowest number
of operational holdings as well as the operated area in the country in
2010-11.
3.11 As compared to 2005-06, percentage increase in number of
operational holdings in 2010-11 was the highest in case of Goa (47.71
percent) followed by Madhya Pradesh (12.19 percent), Rajasthan (11.35
percent), Bihar (10.47 percent), Daman & Diu (9.60 percent), Andhra
Pradesh (9.39 percent), Chhattisgarh (8.26 percent), Odisha (7.14
percent), Puducherry (5.56 percent), Nagaland (5.41 percent), Jammu &
Kashmir (5.20 percent), etc. However, operated area showed declining
trend in most of the States.
3.12 A set of tables giving all India distribution of number of
operational holdings and area operated and the state-wise breakup of
distribution of the number of operational holdings and area operated by
major size groups is presented in the tables that follow.
*****
Agriculture Census 2010-11