Batai Nama / Adhiya: Agricultural Land Lease Agreement Formats & Landowner Rights

1. What is Batai (बटाई) / Adhiya (अधिया) in Indian Farming?

Batai Nama is a traditional sharecropping agreement where an agricultural landowner allows a cultivator (Bataidar) to farm specific agricultural plots in exchange for a predetermined share of harvested produce (typically 50:50 or 60:40) or a fixed cash amount per Bigha.

In many rural areas, these arrangements are conducted orally, which often leads to severe disputes regarding irrigation cost sharing, fertilizer subsidies, and harvest yields.

2. Protecting Landownership Against Adverse Possession

Under various State Land Revenue Codes (such as UP Revenue Code 2006, Bihar Tenancy Act, and MP Land Revenue Code), long-standing oral cultivation can occasionally lead to claims of deemed tenancy or unauthorized entries in the Khasra Girdawari.

A properly written Batai Nama unequivocally states that the Bataidar is granted mere license to harvest crops for a fixed tenure (usually 1 year / 2 seasons) and will never claim title, leasehold mutation, or ownership rights over the land.

• Mention exact revenue identifiers: Mauza, Pargana, Khasra No., Khatauni No., and Area in Bigha/Hectares.
• Define Boundary Coordinates (Chauhaddi): East, West, North, South boundaries.
• Clear Division of Costs: Tractor tilling, diesel pump irrigation, fertilizers, and seed expenses.

3. Execution on Non-Judicial Stamp Paper

An authentic Batai Nama is signed by both the Bhumiswami (Landowner) and the Bataidar (Cultivator) in the presence of at least two local village witnesses or the Gram Pradhan / Ward Member, executed on ₹100 Non-Judicial Stamp Paper.