AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

AGRICULTURAL POPULATION

Agriculture is the predominant occupation in the Kolaba district. The census of 1951 returned 9,09,083 persons as inhabitants of the district of whom 6,72,839 persons or 74.01 per cent depended on agriculture for their livelihood. The decennial census figures do not provide a consistent record from decade to decade of the changes in the structure of population engaged in agriculture. The changes have to be gauged from the figures of rural population, given in the census reports, which include not only persons engaged in agriculture and allied occupations but also those engaged in non-agricultural ones. The following table gives the rural and urban population in the district, in 1951: —

TABLE No. I

KOLABA POPULATION, RURAL, URBAN (1951).

Thus, the population of the district more than doubled itself during the period 1881-1951. The rural and urban numbers too experienced similar fluctuations. Broadly speaking, a nine-tenth part of the total inhabitants in the district lived in rural areas. The increase in rural population has kept pace with that in urban population. This does not, however, disprove the fact that urbanisation is taking place in the district. On the other hand, the process of urbanisation is evinced in the increasing number of towns during the period. The following table gives the number of towns, in the district, in 1881 and 1951: —

TABLE No. 2

 NUMBER OF TOWNS IN KOLABA DISTRICT (1881-1951).

The increase in the population of all the old towns except Revdanda and the establishment of new towns are a sufficient indication of the process of urbanisation that is gradually taking place. The following table shows the population of towns in 1881 and 1951: —

TABLE No. 3

POPULATION OF TOWNS, KOLABA DISTRICT (1881 and 1951).

According to the 1951 Census, all the populace in Khalapur, Mangaon, Poladpur and Sudhagad talukas lived in rural areas. In all other sub-divisions of the district, the rural population formed at least a three-fourth part of the total population. The following table gives the taluka-wise rural and urban population, in the district, in 1951:—

TABLE No. 4

RURAL AND URBAN POPULATION KOLABA (TALUKA-WISE) (1951).

TABLE No. 4 contd.

The district is predominantly agricultural. In 1951, the ratio of the incumbents of agricultural pursuits to those of non-agricultural ones was 3:1. The agricultural classes included cultivators of land wholly or mainly owned, cultivators of land wholly or mainly unowned, cultivating labourers and non-cultivating owners of land, agricultural rent receivers, while non-agricultural classes covered production other than cultivation, commerce, transport and other services and miscellaneous sources. The following table gives the number of persons depending upon agricultural and non-agricultural pursuits, in the district in 1951: —

TABLE No. 5

NUMBER OF PERSONS ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURAL AND NON-AGRICULTURAL PURSUITS, KOLABA DISTRICT (1951)

TABLE No. 5 contd.

As already stated, in the absence of comparable data, changes in the population actively engaged in agriculture for their livelihood cannot be presented from decade to decade. However, the 1951 census gives the following figures in regard to the number of people engaged in agriculture in the district, 1951:—

TABLE No. 6

PERSONS ENGAGED IN AGRICULTURE, KOLABA DISTRICT (1951)

TABLE No. 6 contd.

The following table gives the number of persons engaged in allied agricultural occupations in the district, in 1951: —

TABLE No. 7

NUMBER OF PERSONS ENGAGED IN ALLIED AGRICULTURAL OCCUPATIONS, KOLABA DISTRICT (1951)

TABLE No. 7 contd.

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