Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (MS)
Mangaluru, Oct 3: The Land Reform Act that is implemented by the ruling BJP government of Karnataka has become a blessing in disguise for the people of Kerala.
In the border area of Dakshina Kannada and Kerala state, Keralites have been buying land for the past four decades. Now with the amended Land Reform Act it is said that Keralites have more opportunities to buy land and the purchase of land will soar as per the analysis.
Kerala gets money from NRIs because of which the land rate there has skyrocketed. Compared to Kerala the rate of land is cheaper in Dakshina Kannada district. This would contribute as the main reason for many Keralites to buy land in Dakshina Kannada.
If a person can buy 10 cents of land for a certain amount in Kerala, he can buy an acre of land in Dakshina Kannada for the same price.
Most of the land that is purchased by Keralites in the district of Dakshina Kannada is being converted into Rubber plantation, arecanut, coconut or banana growing farms.
Christians from Cochin district of Kerala have got expert skills in rubber crop and are hard workers too. They can turn even barren land into fruitful farms. In the earlier days, Keralites purchased land in Sullia. Now they have made Beltangady, Puttur, Bantwal and Kadaba as their bases according to Govind Bhat, a local resident.
Locals of Dakshina Kannada are going away from agriculture. The hold of Keralites in coming days on agricultural land of Dakshina Kannada will be stronger. Nearly 60 percent small landowners are there. When the arecanut crop was giving a yield of 350 to 400 kg, those who owned two acres of arecanut farm could earn only Rs 60,000 per year. Now as the rules of quantum of holding land is relaxed in Karnataka there is a high possibility of Keralites buying land in the district in large numbers according to advocate Ismail Nelyadi.
Rashid Vittal, a local resident says that those who buy barren lands and convert that into fertile farms will produce employment in the district.