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District guide
Buying Land in Moradabad
The Brass City, with an export economy, a district redrawn after Sambhal was split off, a Mundha Pande airport without scheduled flights and no sourced per-acre price series.
887,871 people
City, Census 2011
3,741 sq km
Area
>40% of India's
Handicraft exports
~200,000 hectares
Wheat (2008-09)
District land record — Moradabad
Rev. 2026 · Farmland India desk
State
Uttar Pradesh
Division
Moradabad
Tehsils
4 tehsils: Moradabad, Bilari, Kanth, Thakurdwara (district portal)
Blocks and villages
8 development blocks and 1,210 villages (district portal)
Population (Census 2011)
City 887,871; district after the Sambhal split 3,126,507 (district portal)
Demand anchors
Brassware exports · Moradabad SEZ (operational April 2007) · NH 9 · irrigated plain
Area
3,741 sq km (district portal)
Land records portal
UP Bhulekh / IGRS UP
District changes
Sambhal was split off in 2011; older data covers the larger district (district portal)
Land law is state law. These rules are maintained on the Uttar Pradesh page and apply to every district within it.
Moradabad — land purchase legal rules
⚠ Two checks come before any advance in Uttar Pradesh: the Revenue Code limit of 5.0586 hectares (about 12.5 acres) on what one person can acquire by purchase or gift, and the registry position in the DNGIR villages near Noida, where a purchase halt was reported in January 2024 and no later word was found. UP Revenue Code 2006, section 89; Sakshi Post, January 2024.
Who can buy agricultural land? The Revenue Code sections we read set a size limit (section 89) and special rules for land held by Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe members (sections 98 and 99). None asks the buyer to be a farmer or to live in the state (UP Revenue Code 2006, IGRS UP). We did not read the whole tenure chapter, so ask the Sub-Registrar whether anything further applies. The Code repealed the Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act 1950 when it was enforced on 18 December 2015 (SCC Online, February 2016).
Holding limit: section 89(2) of the Code bars a purchase or gift that would take the buyer's total holding in Uttar Pradesh above 5.0586 hectares, about 12.5 acres on our conversion (UP Revenue Code 2006). Under the earlier Act the Supreme Court read a company as a person for this limit and let the excess vest in the State (Oswal Fats and Oils, April 2010). The separate 1960 Ceiling Act caps total holdings; the India Code text gives 7.30 hectares of irrigated land for a family of five or fewer, with additions for larger families, and the text mixes acres and hectares, so the current schedule needs checking (India Code).
DNGIR villages: the Dadri-Noida-Ghaziabad Investment Region covers 84 notified villages, 63 in Bulandshahr and 21 in Gautam Buddh Nagar, notified in October 2024 (Swarajya, July 2026). In January 2024 a Noida Authority letter to the Stamp Department halted purchase and sale in the proposed villages, with registration of agricultural land needing the Authority's consent (Sakshi Post, January 2024). Two July 2026 reports on acquisition by mutual consent do not mention the halt (Millennium Post, July 2026), so ask the Noida Authority or the District Magistrate's office whether it still applies to a given village.
Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe land: a Scheduled Caste bhumidhar needs the Collector's previous written permission to transfer land to a non-Scheduled Caste buyer (section 98), and a Scheduled Tribe bhumidhar may not transfer to a non-Scheduled Tribe buyer (section 99) (UP Revenue Code 2006). The Allahabad High Court described a transfer without the permission as void in Omwati v District Collector, Pilibhit, November 2022.
NRI & OCI buyers: the Reserve Bank's Master Direction under FEMA 1999 excludes agricultural land, plantation land and a farm house from what NRIs and OCIs may buy or receive as a gift (paragraphs 3.1.1 and 3.1.2). Inheritance is covered separately in paragraphs 3.1.3 and 3.1.4, without that exclusion (Reserve Bank of India Master Direction FED 12/2015-16).
- Revenue Code 2006
- Purchase limit: 5.0586 ha
- DNGIR: 84 villages
- SC land: Collector permission
- NRI agri: barred (FEMA)
- Ceiling Act 1960
Moradabad — district-specific notes
The Uttar Pradesh rules on the state page (buyer eligibility, the purchase limit, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe land, NRI rules) apply to Moradabad in full. The notes below are specific to this district.
⚠ Section 89(2) of the Revenue Code 2006 bars a purchase or gift that would take the buyer's total holding in Uttar Pradesh above 5.0586 hectares, about 12.5 acres. Section 80 covers use of a holding for non-agricultural purposes: in March 2026 the UP Cabinet cleared an ordinance under which an approved building plan in development-authority, industrial-development and regulated areas also counts as conversion (Free Press Journal, March 2026). We could not open the section text, so the Sub-Divisional Officer procedure and time limit are not stated here. Older papers may cite the 1950 Zamindari Abolition Act, which the Code replaced (SCC Online, February 2016).
⚠ Sambhal was split from Moradabad in 2011, and the portal puts the remaining district at 3,126,507 people (district portal). Older reports and groundwater tables, including the ICAR crop data used below, cover the larger district, so confirm that a village and its tehsil still fall in Moradabad and not Sambhal.
⚠ Parcels close to Moradabad city may sit inside municipal or development-authority limits, where plan approval and land-use rules differ from open farm country. Ask which body governs a parcel before treating it as farmland.
- Irrigated plain
- Moradabad SEZ
- Sambhal Separation
- Mundha Pande Airport
District overview
Moradabad — the Brass City, with an export economy and a district redrawn after Sambhal
Moradabad district has 4 tehsils (Moradabad, Bilari, Kanth, Thakurdwara), 8 blocks and 1,210 villages and covers 3,741 sq km (district portal). The city had 887,871 people at the 2011 Census; Sambhal was carved out of the district that year and the remainder counted 3,126,507 (district portal).
Moradabad is known as the Brass City. The portal says its metalcraft accounts for more than 40% of India's handicraft exports, with about 600 export units and about 9,000 industries in the district, and describes a Moradabad SEZ set up in 2003 on 421.565 acres that became operational in April 2007, with 22 operating units (undated). It gives exports of about Rs 4,500 crore a year without a date (district portal, economy page). On 25 June 2025 Union minister Jitin Prasada said the city would be developed as an export hub, with a One Stop Centre and an Artisan Village under the One District One Product scheme (The Week, June 2025).
ICAR's plan, using 2008-09 data for the undivided district, records wheat on about 200,000 hectares, rice on about 120,000 and sugarcane on about 68,000 (ICAR-CRIDA). There is no sourced per-acre price series for Moradabad farmland, so use this page to frame questions, not to set an offer. See the Hapur page for a nearby district.
- Brass City
- Moradabad SEZ
- Irrigated plain
- Kanth
- Thakurdwara
- Bilari
Market & connectivity
What is moving prices in Moradabad
Reported facts with the source and month of each. None of them is a land price.
No sourced price series
We found no dated official or news figure for what farmland sells for in Moradabad, and we do not publish listing-site asking prices because they could not be traced to registered deeds. Ask a seller for registered deeds from the same village and for the area in acres or square metres.
Collector rates
In March 2025 the state said collector-rate revisions would start soon in 23 districts and were under way in ten more; Moradabad is in neither list (The Week, March 2025). We do not know the current village rate, so ask the Sub-Registrar.
Units and area
Land is often quoted in local units whose size varies by seller. Khatauni records use hectares or square metres, so convert any quote to acres, and ask for the khasra and khatauni numbers.
Brass exports and the SEZ
The portal reports the SEZ on 421.565 acres, operational from April 2007, with 22 operating units (undated page) (district portal). That is context for industrial and worker demand, not evidence for farmland prices.
Stamp duty and circle rates
The state page quotes stamp duty of 7% (men) and 6% (a sole woman buyer) plus 1% registration, and marks those figures as not confirmed from the Stamp Department. No Moradabad circle rate was read for this page.
Airport at Mundha Pande
The airport is at Mundha Pande, on NH 9 between Moradabad and Rampur. It has had no scheduled flights since a Lucknow service ended on 2 November 2024 (ThePrint, August 2026), so do not price land on it.
Connectivity
How Moradabad connects — road, rail and air
Only the highway position and the airport are sourced here. Check journey times and train timings yourself.
🚗 By road
✈️ By air
🚆 By rail
🛣 Reading the corridor
Distances to Delhi were not sourced, so none are given. The nearer weekend and hill markets sit in the Uttarakhand pages. See our Uttar Pradesh land guide for the legal rules that apply across the district.
Growth catalysts
Upcoming infrastructure & developments
Status as reported in the sources named in each card. Announced timelines are not guaranteed.
Moradabad export hub plan
On 25 June 2025 Union minister Jitin Prasada said Moradabad would be developed as an export hub, with a One Stop Centre for exporters, an Artisan Village under the ODOP scheme and better railways and roads (The Week, June 2025). The report gives no costs, locations or deadlines.
Moradabad SEZ
Set up in 2003 on 421.565 acres and operational from April 2007, with 22 operating units on an undated page (district portal). It anchors industrial demand around the city rather than farmland.
Moradabad airport (Mundha Pande)
Inaugurated virtually on 10 March 2024 under UDAN. Its last scheduled service, to Lucknow, ran from 10 August to 2 November 2024; since then it handles occasional non-scheduled flights (ThePrint, August 2026). Planned extension of the runway would need more land from nearby villages. Do not price land on it.
Agriculture & terrain
Soil, water & crops in Moradabad
Moradabad is an irrigated plain district, wheat and rice first with cane, and the crop data predates the Sambhal split.
🌾 Cropped area
ICAR's district contingency plan (2008-09 data, undivided district) gives net sown area of 315,451 hectares and cropping intensity of 177.8%. The main crops were wheat (200,496 ha), rice (120,321 ha), sugarcane (68,437 ha) and mustard (10,400 ha) (ICAR-CRIDA). Current crop data is held by the district agriculture office.
- Wheat
- Rice
- Sugarcane
- Mustard
💧 Water and rainfall
ICAR gives a normal rainfall of 943 mm over 87 rainy days. Irrigation in 2008-09 came 47.77% from borewells, 46.45% from open wells and 4.11% from canals. We found no current block-wise groundwater category; the 2024 state report lists Moradabad for nitrate and arsenic above limits at sporadic locations, so test any borewell.
- Borewells
- Open wells
🏞 Soil and flood exposure
ICAR's soil split is loam 32.56%, clay loam 32.21%, sandy loam 28.35% and silt loam 6.4%. Flood exposure near rivers and drains was not sourced; ask the village for flood history and check the revenue map for course changes before paying an advance on a riverside parcel.
- Loam
- Clay loam
🌾 Mandi price reference
Live wholesale prices are published daily on Agmarknet; we did not open it for this page and give no price. Farm income near a brass-export city is modest next to non-farm land values, so judge a parcel on its location and use.
At a glance
Moradabad: reported figures at a glance
| Item | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Net sown area, 2008-09 | 315,451 ha; cropping intensity 177.8% | ICAR-CRIDA (undivided district) |
| Main crops, 2008-09 | Wheat 200,496 ha; rice 120,321 ha; sugarcane 68,437 ha | ICAR-CRIDA |
| Irrigation, 2008-09 | Borewells 47.77%, open wells 46.45%, canals 4.11% | ICAR-CRIDA |
| Collector-rate revision | Moradabad not named in the March 2025 list | The Week, March 2025 |
| Per-acre price | No sourced price series | None found |
No per-acre figure is shown because none could be traced to an official or news source. The crop and irrigation figures cover the district before Sambhal was split off.
Farmland India view
Why investors look at Moradabad
Three reasons this desk includes Moradabad, with a note that no price series is sourced.
A large export economy
The portal reports about 600 export units, a Moradabad SEZ working since April 2007 and more than 40% of India's handicraft exports (district portal), a non-farm economy that supports demand for city-edge land.
Documented farm data
ICAR records 315,451 hectares net sown and a cropping intensity of 177.8% for the undivided district, so farming here is established. The data is from 2008-09.
An export-hub plan to watch
A June 2025 announcement of an export hub with a One Stop Centre and Artisan Village (The Week) carries no dates or costs, so treat it as a plan, not a delivery.
Confirm that a village is still in Moradabad after the Sambhal separation, and confirm the land-use position directly; these are not certified by Farmland India's review.
STRAIGHT TALK
Risks & challenges in Moradabad
Read these before shortlisting in Moradabad specifically.
No sourced price series
There is no official or news price series for the district. Collect registered comparables from the same village before negotiating.
Boundary change after Sambhal
Older reports and tables cover the undivided district. Confirm the tehsil, Sub-Registrar and block for your parcel rather than relying on an older document.
Undated and old data
The portal's export figure and SEZ counts are undated, and the ICAR figures are from 2008-09 for the undivided district. Confirm records at the tehsil.
No current groundwater category found
We did not find a current block-wise category. The 2024 CGWB state report lists Moradabad for nitrate and arsenic at sporadic locations (CGWB, December 2024). Check borewell depth and test water.
Riverside and flood exposure
Check flood history and river-course changes in the revenue map before paying an advance on a parcel near a river or drain.
Conversion rules in transition
The March 2026 ordinance on Section 80 changes how conversion works in some areas (Free Press Journal, March 2026). Confirm which regime applies to your village and which body governs the parcel.
Standard UP due diligence
The section 89(2) purchase limit, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe land permissions and khatauni checks apply exactly as on the state page.
Who to contact
Local revenue & registration offices
Mutation, land-use applications under Section 80 of the Revenue Code and parcel status route through the SDM and Tehsildar offices of the relevant tehsil (Moradabad, Bilari, Kanth or Thakurdwara). Inside a municipal or development-authority limit, plan approvals follow the local body. Sale deeds are registered by the local Sub-Registrar through IGRS UP, and khatauni records are on UP Bhulekh; we did not open either portal for this page.
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Guides & research
- Bhu Naksha UP: Check Village Land Map Online (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Khatauni Nakal UP: Get a Copy Online or at the Tehsil (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Khasra Khatauni UP: How to Check and Read It Online (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- IGRS UP Encumbrance Certificate: Apply, Track and Download (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Dakhil Kharij Status UP: Check Mutation Online (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Circle Rate Uttar Pradesh: Check Land Rates Online (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Property Tax for Land in Uttar Pradesh: Check and Pay Online (2026 Guide)Wiki · P02 Land Records & Documentation
- Bigha in Uttar Pradesh: District-wise VariationsWiki · P01 Land Measurement Units
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Everything buyers, NRIs and investors ask before their first reviewed farmland purchase in Moradabad.
Visit full wiki01 of 04
Can an outsider buy farmland in Moradabad?
On the sections we read, yes. The UP Revenue Code limits a purchase or gift to a total holding of 5.0586 hectares (about 12.5 acres) in the state and has special rules for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe land, but none asks the buyer to be a farmer or a resident. We did not read the whole tenure chapter. NRIs and OCIs cannot buy agricultural land under the RBI's FEMA Master Direction.
02 of 04
What does farmland cost in Moradabad?
We publish no per-acre figure, because we found no official or news price series and listing-site asking prices could not be traced to registered deeds. The March 2025 list of districts due for a collector-rate revision does not name Moradabad (The Week). Ask the Sub-Registrar for the village rate and ask sellers for registered deeds from the same village.
03 of 04
Why is Moradabad called the Brass City?
The district portal says its metalcraft makes up more than 40% of India's handicraft exports, with about 600 export units and a Moradabad SEZ operational since April 2007. The portal gives exports of about Rs 4,500 crore a year but does not date the figure.
04 of 04
Does Moradabad have a working airport?
The airport at Mundha Pande, on NH 9 between Moradabad and Rampur, was inaugurated on 10 March 2024. Its last scheduled service, to Lucknow, ended on 2 November 2024, and it now handles occasional non-scheduled flights (ThePrint, August 2026), so it is not a reason to pay more for land.
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Sources and references
Law and courts
- Uttar Pradesh Revenue Code 2006 (sections 80, 89), text hosted by IGRS UP
- Uttar Pradesh ushers in reform in land and revenue laws, SCC Online, 13 Feb 2016
- Master Direction FED 12/2015-16 on immovable assets under FEMA 1999, Reserve Bank of India, updated to 1 Sep 2022
Government
- Demographics (population, area, tehsils, blocks), Moradabad district portal
- About the district (tehsils, blocks, Sambhal split), Moradabad district portal
- Economy (exports, SEZ), Moradabad district portal
- District agriculture contingency plan, Moradabad (2008-09 data), ICAR-CRIDA
- Dynamic Ground Water Resources and Ground Water Quality of Uttar Pradesh 2024, Central Ground Water Board, Dec 2024
- UP govt to revise land circle rates across multiple districts, The Week (PTI), 10 Mar 2025
News
- UP's Moradabad to be developed as export hub: Jitin Prasada, The Week (PTI), 26 Jun 2025
- Moradabad UDAN airport is now a ghost terminal, ThePrint, 26 Aug 2026 (modified 14 Sep 2026)
- UP Cabinet clears ordinance simplifying land use conversion via building plan approvals, Free Press Journal, 23 Mar 2026
- PM Modi inaugurates 594-km long Ganga Expressway, All India Radio, 29 Apr 2026
- New six-lane highway to connect Bareilly with Gorakhpur and Shamli, Patrika, 19 Dec 2025
- New 750-km expressway to reshape UP travel: Shamli-Gorakhpur corridor, Swarajya, 28 Dec 2025
Further reading
- Ceiling Act 1960 text on India Code
- Groundwater quality by district, CGWB 2024
- Moradabad crop and soil plan, ICAR-CRIDA
- Moradabad economy and SEZ, district portal
- Moradabad airport report, ThePrint, Aug 2026
- Export-hub announcement, The Week, Jun 2025
- Section 80 ordinance, Free Press Journal, Mar 2026
- Ganga Expressway districts, All India Radio, Apr 2026
- Collector-rate revisions, The Week, Mar 2025
Data-currency note: census figures reflect 2011. The ICAR crop and irrigation data are from 2008-09 and cover the district before Sambhal was separated; the portal's export and SEZ figures are undated. We could not open the Stamp Department rate schedule, UP Bhulekh, IGRS UP or the India Code text of the Revenue Code sections, so stamp duty, circle rates and the Section 80 procedure are unconfirmed. No per-acre price series is shown. This is a general guide, not legal advice. Report inaccuracies to wiki@farmlandindia.com.
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