Definitions.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

1. (a) "agricultural land" means the land which is used or is capable of being used for the agriculture and allied activities including fallow land;
2. (b) "Agricultural Year" means the year commencing on the 1st August and ending on the 31st July, or such other year as specified by the State Government, by notification published in the Official Gazette;
3. (c) "agriculture and allied activities" means raising of crops including food and non-food crops, fodder or grass, fruits and vegetables, flowers, any other horticultural crops and plantation, animal husbandry and dairy, poultry farming, stock breeding, fishery, agro forestry, agro-processing and other related activities by farmers and farmer groups;
4. (d) "Competent Authority" means the Tahsildar or such revenue officer of equal rank, as may be notified by the State Government under section 8;
5. (e) "farmer" means a person who owns and cultivates land himself or herself and includes a person who may or may not own land but cultivates land by leasing in from others;
6. (f) "farmer groups" includes self-help groups, joint liability groups, Farm Producers Organizations (F.P.O.s) and the like;
7. (g) "Government" means the Government of Maharashtra;
8. (h) "lease" means a contract between the Land Owner - Lessor and the Lessee Cultivator by which the Land Owner - Lessor conveys use of his agricultural land to the Lessee Cultivator for agriculture and allied activities for a specified period for a consideration, based on an agreement with terms and conditions mutually agreed upon by the Land Owner - Lessor and the Lessee Cultivator;
   • (i) "Leasing in" means the use of agricultural land by a Lessee Cultivator under lease for a consideration which could be in cash or kind or share of produce;
9. (j) "Leasing out" means transfer of land under lease by a Land Owner - Lessor to a Lessee Cultivator for an agreed lease period for a consideration which could be in cash or kind or share of produce;
10. (k) "Lessee Cultivator" means a person who leases in agricultural land for the purpose of agriculture and allied activities against a consideration in cash or kind or a share of produce, payable to the Land Owner - Lessor as per the lease agreement;
11. (l) "Land Owner - Lessor" means a person who owns agricultural land and has leased out such land to a Lessee Cultivator, under mutually agreed terms and conditions;
12. (m) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.