Kolkata: Riding on the wave of movement for protecting farmers' rights on farmland, Mamata Banerjee- led Trinamool Congress government rode to power in 2011 ousting the 34-year-old Left Front government. Now, 10 years down the line, Mamata Banerjee has taken oath as the chief minister for the third consecutive term. It has to be seen whether during the last 10 years was there any major improvement in the quality of farmland or farming conditions in the state.
According to the state government’s own statistics instead of improvement, there had been deterioration in the situation. A major section of the farmers in West Bengal has shied away from farming as a profession. There had been a massive depletion in the agricultural land ratio in the state.
The latest report of the state environment department — State of Environment Report, 2021, West Bengal has revealed a reduction in the farmland
According to the report, in 2011, there were 52,94,000 hectares of registered farmland in the state. In 2021, the figure has declined to 52,38,000, which means the reduction had been 52,000 acres. According to statistics, the decline in the quantum of registered farmland started since the previous Left Front regime and in the last 10 years, the depletion has gained momentum.
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On this issue, ETV Bharat contacted the state agriculture minister, Sobhondeb Chattopadhyay. According to him, a major reason behind this phenomenon is a rise in population. “The more the population is increasing the more is the requirement of land for housing, hence farmland is being converted. There is no denying of the fact that the quantum of farmland in the state is depleting. But we, on behalf of the state government, are trying our best to bring more land under farming in the coming days. We are facilitating import and production of higher quality and productivity seeds, modern farming technologies and regular testing of land fertility among others,” he said.
Sharing his views on the report, Pradip Majumdar, the principal advisor (agriculture) to the Chief Minister. “I haven't gone through the details of the report. However, it is true that several people these days are reluctant to take up farming as a profession. At the same time, massive urbanization has engulfed farmland to a great extent. But we are trying to spread awareness on this issue. For the last two years, the state agriculture department has been able to convert 12,000 hectares of arid land into farmland. Our target is to convert of 50,000 acres in the next few years,” he said.
Former chief economic advisor the Union government and BJP legislator, Ashoke Lahiri has a different take on this issue. "The depletion in farmland ratio is not only confined to West Bengal. However, it has to be seen how the farmland is being utilized after conversion. If that converted land is used for setting up new industries it is a positive change for the state and nation’s economy. I have not heard of any major industrial unit coming up in West Bengal during the last 10 years. So this statistics on depletion in farmland ratio is unfortunate for the state,” he said.
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Veteran Leftist peasant leader and the CPI(M) politburo member, Hannan Mollah says that it not a new phenomenon. According to him, his party had been saying since 2006 that farming is no more profitable for the farmers in West Bengal. “And in the current Trinamool Congress regime, the farmers are not even receiving minimum support price for their products. Since we realized that farming is no more profitable way back, we chose industrialization path. But at that point of time Trinamool Congress misled the farmers and the general people of the state. Now, on one hand, there is no industry in the state and on the other hand, agriculture is in pathetic condition and both situations are not good for the state,” he said.
