AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

LAND UTILISATION

In former times about the last decade of the l9th century. waste lands occupied a much larger area other than cultivated tracts but there are scarcely any. The old Gazetteer of the district recorded a general increase in the area under cultivation, but tahsil-wise variations are significant. In Akot, it increased by 1 per cent, in Murtizapur by 3 in Akola by 5, in Mangrulpir by 8, and in Basim by 14 per cent. Figures for Balapur were not available. The Gazetteer also recorded a considerable change in the proportionate cultivation of different crops, rabi having much decreased and kharif increased.

The total area of the district in 1907-1908 was 2,620,000 acres. The area cropped was, 1.950,000 acres; that occupied but useless, potkharab, 45,000; and that occupied but not cropped 2,19,000 acres. Of forests there were 1,01,000 acres having timber and fuel reserves, 13,000 under grass reserves, and 1,02,000 under pasture. Further about 70,000 acres belonged to village sites and other village purposes, 97,000 acres to grazing outside the forests and 12,000 unculturable but not included in any of the classes mentioned.

The district and tahsil boundaries were quite substantially changed in 1905. After that, major changes in the boundaries of the district and tahsils took place with the Reorganisation of States in 1956. The total area of the district in 1971-72 was 10,55,998 hectares. Of this, the net cropped area was 8,02,420 hectares; forest, 77,151; barren and unculturable land, 22,682; land put to non-agricultural uses. 33861; and permanent pastures and other grazing land, 61136.

The Land under cultivation in the district falls under two heads viz., jirayat and bagayat. Of these jirayat occupies the major portion of the total cultivated area. The land under jirayat is cultivated with the support of monsoonal rains while that under bagayat is mainly with the help of irrigation. The crops grown in the district could be divided into food-crops and non-food crops. Among food-crops, in 1971-72, cereals occupied 3,14,832 hectares and pulses, 1,11,206 hectares. Among non-food crops, fibres occupied 3,41,405 hectares. Of this acreage cotton alone covered 3,39,250 hectares in 1971-72. During the same year oil-seeds were cultivated on 42,254 hectares. The total acreage under the two categories viz., food-crops and non-food crops during the same year was 4,31,132 and 3,83,815 hectares respectively.

In 1971-72, the forests in the district occupied an area of about 771.51 sq. km which makes about 7.30 per cent of the total geographical area of the district. The forests are mainly located in Balapur, Akola and Mangrulpir tahsils.

The following table gives the distribution of the total geographical area of the district under various categories.

TABLE No. 3

Statistics of Land Utilisation (Tahsil-wise) in Akola District

(Area in hectares)

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TABLE No. 3 —Contd.

(Area in hectares)

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