10
Table 2.4: Changes in the Size Distribution of Operational Holdings and
Operated Area 1960-61 – 2002-03
Category of
Holdings
Percentage of Operational Holdings
Percentage of Operated Area
1960-
61
(17
th
)
1970-
71
(26
th
)
1981-
82
(37
th
)
1991-
92
(48
th
)
2002-03
(59
th
)
1960-
61
(17
th
)
1970-
71
(26
th
)
1981-
82
(37
th
)
1991-
92
(48
th
)
2002-03
(59
th
)
Kharif Rabi
Kharif Rabi
Marginal
39.1 45.8 56.0 62.8 69.7 70.0 6.9 9.2 11.5 15.6 22.6 21.7
Small
22.6 22.4 19.3 17.8 16.3 15.9 12.3 14.8 16.6 18.7 20.9 20.3
Semi-
Medium 19.8 17.7 14.2 12.0 9.0 8.9 20.7 22.6 23.6 24.1 22.5 22.3
Medium 14.0 11.1 8.6 6.1 4.2 4.4 31.2 30.5 30.1 26.4 22.2 23.1
Large
4.5 3.1 1.9 1.3 0.8 0.8 29.0 23.0 18.2 15.2 11.8 12.5
All Sizes 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0
Source:
NSSO (2006): Some Aspects of Operational Land Holdings in India, 2002-03, p.18 and p.20.
In other words, 70.5 million out of 101 million operational holdings
belong to such tiny land cultivation. If the small farmer category of 1 to 2
hectares holdings is also included, as much as near 86% of cultivator
households belonged to the small and marginal categories and they possessed
43.5% of operated area in 2002-03 (Table 2.4).
For the period subsequent to 2002-03, we have the
Agricultural Census
data for 2005-06 and 2010-11. As depicted in Table 2.5, these data too reveal
further increases in marginalisation and fragmentation of holdings. As per
these
Agricultural Census
data, in the first decade of this century (2000-01 to
2010-2011), the number of marginal holdings has increased by 22.5% from
75.41 million to 92.36 million. The share of marginal and small size together
Table 2.5: Size Distribution of Operational Holdings and Area Operated
Sl.
No.
Size Groups
Number of Holdings (in '000)
1970-71 1976-77 1980-81 1985-86 1990-91 1995-96 2000-01* 2005-06* 2010-11
1 Marginal
36200 44523 50122 56147 63389 71179 75408 83694 92356
% to Total
(50.98) (54.58) (56.39) (57.79) (59.44) (61.58) (62.88) (64.77) (67.04)
2 Small
13432 14728 16072 17922 20092 21643 22695 23930 24705
% to Total
(18.92) (18.06) (18.08) (18.45) (18.84) (18.73) (18.92) (18.52) (17.93)
3 Semi-Medium 10681 11666 12455 13252 13923 14261 14021 14127 13840
% to Total
(15.04) (14.30) (14.01) (13.64) (13.06) (12.34) (11.69) (10.93) (10.05)
4 Medium
7932 8212 8068 7916 7580 7092 6577 6375 5856
% to Total
(11.17) (10.07)
(9.08)
(8.15)
(7.11)
(6.14)
(5.48)
(4.93)
(4.25)
5 Large
2766 2440 2166 1918 1654 1404 1230 1096 1000
% to Total
(3.90)
(2.99)
(2.44)
(1.97)
(1.55)
(1.21)
(1.03)
(0.85)
(0.73)
6 All Sizes
71011 81569 88883 97155 106637 115580 119931 129222 137757
% to Total
(100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00) (100.00)
