To promote organic farming, attract more investment to the sector, and to stop agricultural land becoming non-agricultural (NA), Government of Gujarat is thinking in the direction of loosening rules related to agricultural lands.

Currently, under the Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Land Act, 1948, only families of farmers, or of farmer-origins, can buy agricultural lands. To acquire such lands and get benefits intended for farmers, a number of scams have also surfaced in the state.

Businessmen and industrialists, even politicians like Ramanlal Vora, have been accused of illegally acquiring agricultural lands for benefits.

Apart from this, there are many people who have genuine commercial interest in agriculture but cannot buy agricultural land as they are not farmers.

A large area of agricultural land in the state is also being converted into NA. If that prevails, Gujarat may face an agricultural land shortage.

The government is taking all this into consideration, and discussing all the aspects before deciding if anyone can buy agricultural land for crop cultivation.

Apart from Gujarat, sources say that only farmers can buy agricultural land in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Mizoram, Uttarakhand, and Goa. However, in states like Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Haryana, Karnataka, Assam, Punjab, and Telangana, the rules for purchasing agricultural land are relaxed. In these states, anyone can buy agricultural land after obtaining the approval of the local authorities such as the collector.

Importantly, the report of the Central Land Reforms Committee (CLC) in Gujarat has been submitted to the government and it has also recommended the same relaxation in the rules.

If relaxation is given regarding the purchase of agricultural land in Gujarat, it will attract investment to the agriculture sector and will help professionals diversify into the farming sector. The scams around land grabbing and false documentation to pose as farmers will also cease.

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