Area under agriculture projected to decline in Coimbatore LPA

Area under agricultural use in Coimbatore Local Planning Area (LPA) is projected to be 45.83% of the total area in 2041 from the existing 59.62%, according to the recently released Coimbatore Master Plan 2041.

The Master Plan says 701.88 sq.km will be under agriculture and other uses (45.83%) in 2041 while it is 913.13 sq.km (59.62%) now in the LPA area. In the Coimbatore Corporation area, 15.71 sq.km (14.8%) was under agriculture in 2001.

The Master Plan says that though the requirement of land for urban use has increased in the LPA, the prime agricultural lands have been conserved by earmarking the same as agriculture use zone in the revised Plan. In the city limits, the prime agricultural land is earmarked for agricultural use.

Agriculture in Coimbatore LPA is mainly in the northern and southern areas like Annur and Karamadai and farmland area has decreased from west to east due to urban growth. The region grows diverse crops. Area under traditional ones like groundnut and paddy are declining, while commercial crops like sugarcane, along with red gram and ragi, are on the rise. High maize and sorghum production has also boosted the livestock sector and contributed significantly to the local economy, the Plan said.

The Master Plan 2001’s estimates of land required for various uses and their spatial allocation could not be compared with actual on-ground development as land use data for the year 2001 is not available. The city and its suburbs have grown substantially in the last two decades. The developmental requirements have been accommodated by “spot variations of land use” in the Master plan. The land use prescriptions in the Master Plan 2001 have been compared with the existing land use data of 2024 to evaluate the development progress and how the land use allocations of Master Plan 2001 has adapted to the changing developmental needs in the LPA.

The 2001 Master Plan for Coimbatore LPA included Primary and Mixed Residential Zones, Commercial Zones, and various categories of Industrial and Institutional land uses.

To ensure uniformity with State-level regulatory frameworks, the earlier land use categories have been harmonised with Tamil Nadu Combined Development and Building Rules 2019 classifications so that there is consistency is implementation, the Plan said.