Imphal Aug 1 UNA : Manipur government too not serious even though arable lands in the state were fast diminishing, alleged speakers at a one-day convention on protection of agricultural land of the state held here on Thursday.
Besides utilizing agricultural land by private individuals for the construction of a large number of oil pumps, private schools, brick fields, government too encroaching paddy fields for the construction of its offices and others purposes, they alleged in the convention.
Paddy fields were fast diminishing in the state while the government was struggling to formulate land use policy to save the agricultural land.
Vast paddy fields in the state have been acquired by government agencies as well as private individuals for construction of office buildings, schools and residential houses. This phenomenon would pose a serious problem in the agricultural sector of the state.
Reiterating that arable land was diminishing day by day, they warned that if the trend is continuing unchecked, the state would entirely depend on the import food products.
According to the Economic Survey of Manipur there were 1,66,015 hectares of arable land, it is diminishing at the rate of 200 paris every year.
Asserting that farming is practiced only in certain areas of the valley and if the trend continues, after 10/20 years, there would be no arable land left, many of the speakers opined. The speakers also appealed to all to join the campaign for preserving arable land.
In the convention which was organized by the Irabot Foundation as a part of its ongoing campaign for greening Manipur since 2007.
President of the foundation, Th Iboyaima recalled that the foundation has started its “Campaign for Greening Manipur” from 2007 with the objective of growing vegetation in the paddy fields which were left unused after seasonal rice cropping.
Observing that arable lands of the state have been sinking day by day, Iboyaima said that the encroachment of arable land for profitable business by some greedy individuals and private companies is a big threat to the food production of the state.
Veteran social worker RK Ranendrajit observed the reason behind decreasing agricultural lands of the state as difference between the cost of farming and the price of the crop they produced. It may be mention here that Manipur government has already announced framing of a land use policy of the state four year back. In one of the sitting of the Manipur Assembly in 2009, chief minister O Ibobi singh has informed the house that government was considering for a land use policy to save agricultural land.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/meet-stresses-on-the-need-of-land-use-policy/
