Devanahalli: Govt. clarifies that ‘permanent agri zone’ status will not affect farmers’ rights to sell their land

Immediately after declaring 1,777 acres of land in 13 villages of Devanahalli taluk as a “Permanent Special Agricultural Zone”, the government shelved the proposal to acquire this land for an aviation park and announced that declaring it as a zone would not affect the freedom of farmers to sell their land.

“Farmers have complete freedom to sell their land; there are no restrictions,” said S. Selvakumar, Principal Secretary, Ministry of Industries. He appealed to farmers not to be deceived by rumors, confusion or false narratives.

Dr. Selvakumar’s statement came in response to reports claiming that farmers’ rights to sell their land were being restricted.

He said in the statement: “Farmers in these 13 villages expressed their desire to continue farming. The government responded positively and fulfilled its commitment. Any allegation that this decision creates difficulties for farmers is not true. Our aim is to prevent real estate misuse of agricultural land and prevent contractors from exploiting farmers.”

“Initially, this land near Devanahalli was proposed to be acquired for the purpose of setting up an aerospace park. However, considering the demand of farmers, the government withdrew the acquisition plan and reserved the area entirely for agriculture. However, if any farmer wishes to voluntarily sell his land to the government, he is free to do so and will receive compensation as per the decision of the Land Price Determination Commission. However, there is no obligation to sell the land only to the government.”

The official statement stated that the government hopes to attract investment in agriculture by determining the region.

Under this provision, farmers can benefit from high-yielding seed varieties, cold storage facilities, organic farming, modern agricultural technologies including hydroponics, improved soil and water management, direct market access, elimination of middlemen, paid prices, e-commerce and digital marketplaces. The statement also stated that they will receive special tax exemptions for farms and agricultural enterprises, faster approvals for agribusiness projects, growth of agro-based industries, export opportunities, warehouse development and local employment.

Similar special agricultural zones already exist in states such as Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.