Consolidation Of Holdings In Uttar Pradesh: An Instrument For Achieving Food Security

Abstract

Fragmentation of agricultural holdings resulted from successive land reform measures and partition in joint families lead to the formation of uneconomic holdings. It is believed that land fragmentation would result in optimal crop choice and sub-optimal usage of factor inputs i.e. technically inefficient usage, all of which would in turn lead to less than sustainable incomes for farmers and a resultant would pose a threat to food security. Therefore, various Commissions have suggested for the Consolidation of Holdings to make the scattered plots more compact. Pre and post independent India witnessed various consolidation legislations passed by different States. Consolation was crude and voluntary in the beginning, but later it was regulated by democratic legislation. Amongst various States, the legislation passed by the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh seems to be very efficient. Uttar Pradesh Consolidation Holdings Act, 1953 has been passed to consolidate the scattered agricultural holdings in Uttar Pradesh for the development of agriculture in general and attaining food security in particular. The 1953 Act, though has achieved its goal up to some extent, but it fails in other fronts. This article is an honest attempt to critically discuss the consolidation operation in India with special reference to Uttar Pradesh Consolidation Holdings Act, 1953.