NEW DELHI: No wonder Kerala has to depend on its neighbours for its survival. The State has converted maximum area of agricultural land for non-farming purposes in the last five years among South Indian States. The state has lost 25,000 hectares of land in the past five years (2006-2011) thus becoming the fourth-highest loser nationally, according to data compiled by the Agriculture Ministry.Nationally, only West Bengal, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have lost more farmland than Kerala in the same period. West Bengal converted 62,000 hectares, Haryana 54,000 hectares and Uttar Pradesh 39,000 hectares for purposes other than agriculture.On the whole, the country lost 4,91,000 hectares of agricultural land in the last five years. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have fared way better— the two states lost 2,000 hectares.Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, has increased its area under cultivation. The state has managed to use 17,010 hectares of non-agricultural land for cultivation. The other states that have increased its area under cultivation are Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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