CONSOLIDATION OF LAND HOLDING

Consolidation of fragmented agricultural land holdings forms an integral part of the Land Reform Policy and Five Year Plans have accordingly been laying stress on its implementation. This operation is considered necessary for planned development of villages and achieving efficiency and economy in agriculture. In pursuance of this, many States had enacted legislations but not much progress could be made except in the States of U.P, Haryana and Punjab. In other States, work was continued for some years and lost momentum thereafter. In the State of Uttar Pradesh, even now annually about 900 to 1000 villages are being covered under this activity.

Consolidation of holdings refers to amalgamation and redistribution of fragmented land to bring together all plots of land of acultivator in one compact block.Onaccount of growing pressure of population on land and limited opportunities for work in the non-agricultural sector,there is increasing trend towards sub-division and fragmentation of land holdings in the country.The average size of holding is already very low and there are no economies of scale.Fragmentation leads to additional diseconomies due to wastage of time and money onthe movement of physical and human inputs from one farmstead to another.Besides,it makes the task of irrigation management,land improvement and personal supervision of different plots very difficult.

Increasing pressure of population on land has led to increase in the number of fragments per farm. Forcible land distribution has led to fragmentation of holdings and productivity has not improved much.it has been duly emphasized in five year plans that consolidation of holdings should form an integral part of the agricultural development programme.