India’s net sown area remains stable despite cultivable land declining a tad
The Government has said the net sown area has remained relatively stable in the country over the years, despite marginal decline in cultivable/agricultural land.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, cited the latest report on ‘Land Use Statistics-at a Glance 2023-24’, and said despite marginal decline in cultivable / agricultural land, the net sown area has remained relatively stable over the years.
He said the gross cropped area has expanded significantly, rising from 201.3 million hectares in 2013-14 to 217.8 million hectares in 2023-24. Implementation of various government initiatives and technological advancements have contributed to a continuous rise in cropping intensity, he said.
Cropping intensity increased from 142.5 per cent in 2013-14 to 156.8 per cent in 2023-24, reflecting a positive shift toward multiple cropping practices, highlighting farmers’ enhanced ability to cultivate the same land more than once annually.
Natural rubber offtake tops output
To a question on natural rubber cultivation, Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, said the natural rubber consumption in India was reported by Rubber Board to be 14.10 lakh tonnes (lt) in 2024-25. However, the natural rubber production stood at 8.75 lt in the country during that period.
In order to boost production in the North Eastern region, a project is being implemented by Rubber Board in collaboration with Automotive Tyre Manufacturers Association (ATMA) in the North East for developing rubber plantations on area of 200,000 hectares. Under this project, natural rubber has been planted in 150,915 hectares in the North East region, he said.
No millets board for now
To a question on whether the Government is planning to establish a national millet board, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, said the Government has taken several initiatives for promotion of millets (Shree Anna). “At present, there is no proposal under consideration to establish a separate National Millet Board,” he said.
The overall production of millets in the country was 180.15 lt during 2024-25 (third advanced estimates) from an area of 128.65 lakh hectares. India exported 1.21 lt of millets valued ₹502.35 crore during 2024-25.
Cocoa up marginally
To a query on cocoa production in the country, Ramnath Thakur said in a written reply that Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) has undertaken studies across various states to promote cocoa cultivation which includes experimental evaluation of cocoa genotypes under nine centres at Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Gujarat, Assam, Maharashtra and Karnataka during the last five years for its soil, climate suitability and field evaluation of cocoa clones and hybrids and multi-location trials under coconut and oil palm plantation canopies.
Cocoa production in the country increased to 30,090 tonnes in 2023-24 from 29,800 tonnes in 2022-23.
62, 630 AIF projects geo-tagged
To a separate question on Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF), Thakur said AIF plays a key role in strengthening market linkages and value chain management by supporting creation of post-harvest infrastructure like primary processing units, warehouses, cold chains, and collection centres. These facilities help reduce wastage, enhance value addition, and ensure better price realization for farmers.
The Government has sanctioned 66,310 crore to 1,13,419 projects under AIF till June 30 2025. Of these projects, 62,630 projects have been geo-tagged, he said.
Published on August 5, 2025
