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Groundwater Market and Agricultural Tenancy: A New Form of Collective Inter-Linkage in West Bengal

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  • Acharyya, Achiransu

Abstract

Land ownership in West Bengal has passed through different phases. Initially there were land owners with large tracts of land. Later in the 1960s and 1970s, Government of West Bengal decided to redistribute land from the original land owners to the small and marginal farmers. The operation of this land redistribution was called ‘Operation Barga’. In our survey of groundwater markets, we found that land relations are affected by water relations especially in case of groundwater sellers. In this background, the paper attempts to analyse the various water and related land based transactions experienced at the field level in the three agricultural districts of West Bengal. From field level survey of ground water markets and transactions between water sellers and water buyers, it is observed that owners of Groundwater Extraction Mechanisms (WEM), in order to economise their scale of water usage and maximise profit, form a collective monopoly amongst themselves, not only to divide the land to sell water but also to consolidate on the surrounding lands for economies of scale. Although this may lead to higher productivity of agriculture it may also lead to increase in landless farmers. Thus we find a situation in West Bengal which may thwart the very essence of land reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Acharyya, Achiransu, 2020. "Groundwater Market and Agricultural Tenancy: A New Form of Collective Inter-Linkage in West Bengal," Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, Indian Society of Agricultural Economics, vol. 0(Number 4), December.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:inijae:345143
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.345143
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kajisa, Kei & Sakurai, Takeshi, 2005. "Efficiency and equity in groundwater markets: the case of Madhya Pradesh, India," Environment and Development Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 10(6), pages 801-819, December.
    2. Kajisa, Kei & Sakurai, Takeshi, 2003. "Determinants of Groundwater Price under Bilateral Bargaining with Multiple Modes of Contracts: A Case from Madhya Pradesh, India," Japanese Journal of Agricultural Economics (formerly Japanese Journal of Rural Economics), Agricultural Economics Society of Japan (AESJ), vol. 5, pages 1-11.
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