In Kashmir, the land available for rice cultivation is decreasing; the administration has taken this step

While the Kashmir administration has imposed a complete ban on the use of agricultural land for purposes other than farming, thousands of acres of agricultural land in Kashmir have been used for residential construction and other development activities. According to officials, a significant portion of arable land has been utilized for the construction of houses, malls, shopping complexes, hospitals, and educational institutions.

Mohammad Iqbal Choudhary, the Director of the Agriculture Department, stated that over the past few years, due to construction and diversification of crops, more than 15,000 hectares of land has been reduced for rice cultivation. Farmers are concerned that agricultural land is diminishing. However, advancements in farming techniques have made it easier to cultivate, resulting in increased crop yields. Some farmers have mentioned that the construction of roads through agricultural land has also reduced the availability of cultivable land