IIM-A to 'help conserve' agricultural land for corporates, launches agri land price index

By Jag Jivan
In a surprise move, the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has launched what it calls “India’s first ever Agri Land Price Index” in collaboration with SfarmsIndia in order to help conserve agricultural land into real estate. To be hosted by the Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at IIM-A, India’s premier global management institute hopes to provide ‘quality controlled’ data of prices of agricultural land across the country to corporates.
SFarmsIndia is an agri-land discovery platform, seeking to connect prospective buyers and sellers, claiming to be “one of the very few platforms in India focusing exclusively on agricultural land listings.” It is said to contain 25,000 registered buyers and sellers, offering more than 7,000 land listings.
IIM-A, which formally launched its Agri Land Price Index at the institute, suggests, one main reason it collaborated with SFarmsIndia is, it has been “successful in eliminating middlemen, bringing in price transparency and expanding the prospect set for the rural sellers. With 15% month-on-month growth in listings, with presence in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh, SFarmsIndia is expanding to more states and “product offerings” (APCs & Food Park Lands, Small Farms, etc).
Called IIMA-SFarmsIndia Agri Land Price Index (ISALPI), says an IIM-A source, it will record and present ‘quality controlled’ data of prices of agricultural land across the country. “This index is particularly important in terms of benchmarking land prices in rural and semi-urban areas. In such a case, the index will serve as a reliable source that will signal potential conversion of agricultural land into real estate”, the source says.
Stating that to develop an index for land parcels is a complex task because of visible price differences in different listings caused by a slew of factors including the market wide supply-demand factors, IIM-A says, “The Misra Centre for Financial Markets and Economy at IIMA, under which this index is being launched, will be hosting this index on its official website.”

The index would benefit not just the real estate developers but also policy makers, local governments, environmentalists, investors and financiers

Announcing the decision at the formal meet, Prof Errol D’Souza, director, IIMA, said, one reason why the top business institute decided to go in for indexing land pricing is, “With just over 200 million hectares, India houses just 2% of the world’s cropped land; but feeds over 15% of the world’s population.” However, recently, he added, there is a “surge in entrepreneurial interest in agri land and allied professions... We believe it is the right time to launch such an index for India.”
The IIM-A source claimed, the index would benefit not just the real estate developers but other stakeholders also, including policy makers, local governments, environmentalists, investors and financiers. "For instance, the index can be used by local governments to compensate the people who lose land for highway expansion.”
Project lead and associate professor of Real Estate Finance at IIMA, Dr Prashant Das, said, “Investors could use this information to assess the historical risk and return in the past and predict these metrics for the future to decide on their investment positions. Fund managers and producers could use this information to broadly benchmark their own performance. Financiers and insurers could use this information to assess the risk in the company related to the asset class reflected in the index.”

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

Public responses to the niqab incident and Iltija Mufti’s legal complaint

By Raqif Makhdoomi* Following an incident in which the Chief Minister of Bihar was seen pulling aside the niqab of a Muslim woman doctor during a public interaction, the episode drew widespread attention and debate across India. Public reactions were divided, with some defending the action and others criticising it as an infringement on personal autonomy and dignity. The incident was widely circulated on social media and reported by national and international media outlets.

Search This Blog