Srinagar, Oct 14: Jammu and Kashmir’s fertile agricultural fields are increasingly giving way to residential colonies, commercial complexes, and other concrete structures, putting pressure on a limited land resource and raising concerns over the future of farming in J&K.
The extent of the challenge is underscored by estimates that place cultivable land at just 4.4 percent of the geographical area.
With large parts of J&K covered by mountains, forests, and other terrain unsuitable for cultivation, the loss of productive agricultural land to construction has implications beyond the changing landscape.
It affects food production, farm-based livelihoods, and the region’s capacity to sustain its agricultural economy.
Figures reported in government statistical publications show that the area under paddy cultivation stood at 1,32,641 hectares in 2024-25, according to the J&K government’s Regional Digest of Statistics 2024-25.
The area had declined to 1,29,021 hectares in 2023-24 before recovering in the latest reported year.
The current figure, however, remains below the 1,62,309 hectares recorded in 2012-13 in an earlier statistical series.
The difference amounts to 29,668 hectares, equivalent to approximately 5.93 lakh kanal.
The comparison indicates a substantial long-term contraction in paddy acreage, although the figures must be checked against their underlying statistical definitions before being treated as a definitive measure of the loss over the period.
The decline in paddy cultivation also does not, by itself, establish how much agricultural land has been converted into buildings.
Across Kashmir, the expansion of settlements has brought growing pressure on agricultural fields, particularly around urban centres.
Paddy land that once formed part of the region’s agricultural landscape is increasingly surrounded by housing colonies and commercial development.
Similar land-use pressures are also being reported in parts of the Jammu region.
The concern is particularly acute because productive agricultural land is a limited resource that cannot easily be replaced once covered by permanent structures.
According to Union Agriculture Ministry statistics, cultivable land in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 10.97 lakh hectares in 2024-25, compared with 10.74 lakh hectares in 2020-21.
The 2024-25 figure is provisional.
Cultivable land is a broader category than the area actively sown, and the figures do not establish how much agricultural land has been permanently diverted for non-farm purposes.
Historical estimates for the erstwhile state of J&K, including present-day Ladakh, put cultivable land at approximately 10.75 lakh hectares against a geographical area of around 2.22 crore hectares, or 4.84 percent. The 4.4 percent estimate requires verification against its original source and geographical coverage before it can be applied specifically to the present Union Territory.
The absence of an updated, publicly available account of agricultural land conversion makes it difficult to establish the precise extent of the loss.
Land shifted from paddy to orchards or other crops remains agricultural land, whereas construction can permanently remove it from cultivation.
A reliable assessment must distinguish between these changes.
A senior Agriculture Department official acknowledged that agricultural land conversion was taking place throughout Kashmir and described it as a concern for both the government and communities.
Agriculture and allied activities remain important sources of employment and income in J&K.
The loss of productive fields can affect farming households, agricultural labourers and businesses linked to cultivation, while reducing the land available for food production.
Higher yields and improved farming practices can partly offset a decline in cultivated area, but they cannot indefinitely compensate for the permanent loss of fertile land.
A shrinking agricultural base also raises questions about the region’s future dependence on food supplies from outside J&K.
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