Learning Objective
- Types of Farming
- Cropping Pattern
- Major Crops in India
- Food Crops other than Grains
- Technological and Institutional Reforms
Types of Farming
Farming methods in India vary based on physical environment, technology, and socio-cultural practices, ranging from subsistence to commercial. Common farming systems include:
Primitive Subsistence Farming
- ‘Slash and burn’ agriculture involves clearing land for crops and shifting when soil fertility declines. Known as ‘jhumming’ in northeastern states.
- Low land productivity, reliant on monsoon, practiced in select parts of India.
Intensive Subsistence Farming
- High population pressure areas utilize labor-intensive farming with significant biochemical inputs and irrigation for increased production.
Commercial Farming
- Intensive farming employs modern inputs like HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides for higher productivity.
– Plantation farming grows a single crop over vast areas, employing capital-intensive methods and migrant labor.
– Produce like tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, and banana serve as raw materials for industries.
Cropping Pattern
Rabi
- Rabi crops are winter crops sown from October to December and harvested from April to June. Major crops include wheat, barley, peas, gram, and mustard.
- Northern and northwestern states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are crucial for their production, aided by winter precipitation and the success of the Green Revolution.
Kharif
- Kharif crops are cultivated during the monsoon season and harvested in September-October. Major crops include paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, and soyabean.
- Rice is prominent in regions like Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra (Konkan coast), Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar. Some areas like Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha yield three rice crops annually: Aus, Aman, and Boro.
Zaid
- During the Zaid season, between Rabi and Kharif, short-duration crops like watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, and fodder are cultivated. Sugarcane, however, requires nearly a year to grow.
Major Crops in India
Various crops are grown in India based on soil, climate, and cultivation practices. Major crops include rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee, sugarcane, oilseeds, cotton, and jute.
Rice
- Rice is a Kharif crop requiring high temperature, humidity, and annual rainfall exceeding 100 cm.
- India is the world’s second-largest producer after China. It’s cultivated in the plains of north and northeast India, coastal areas, and deltaic regions.
Wheat
- Wheat is a Rabi crop needing cool growing conditions and ample sunshine during ripening. It thrives with 50 to 75 cm of evenly distributed annual rainfall.
- The Ganga-Satluj plains and Deccan black soil region are main wheat-growing zones. It’s the second most important cereal and primary food crop in north and northwest India.
Millets
- Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are the important millets grown in India.
- These are known as coarse grains and have very high nutritional value.
| Jowar | Bajra | Ragi |
| 3rd most important food crop with respect to area and production. | Grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. | It is a crop of dry regions. |
| It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in moist areas. | Grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. | |
| Mainly produced in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. | Major producing states are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. | Major producing states are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh. |
Maize
- Maize is a Kharif crop thriving in temperatures of 21°C to 27°C and old alluvial soil. It serves as both food and fodder.
- Major maize-producing states include Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Pulses
- India leads globally in pulse production and consumption, crucial protein source for vegetarians. Major pulses include Tur, Urad, Moong, Masur, Peas, and Gram.
- Pulse cultivation often rotates with other crops to restore soil fertility. Leading pulse-producing states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Karnataka.
Food Crops other than Grains
Sugarcane
- Sugarcane, a tropical and subtropical crop, thrives in hot, humid climates with temperatures of 21°C to 27°C and annual rainfall of 75cm to 100cm. It tolerates various soils and requires manual labor from sowing to harvesting.
- India is the world’s second-largest producer after Brazil. Sugarcane yields sugar, gur (jaggery), khandsari, and molasses. Major producing states include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana.
Oil Seeds
Main oilseeds in India cover around 12% of the total cropped area:
– Groundnut: Kharif crop, Gujarat is the top producer.
– Mustard: Rabi crop.
– Sesamum (til): Kharif in the north, rabi in the south.
– Castor seeds: Grown in both Rabi and Kharif seasons.
– Linseed: Rabi crop.
– Coconut
– Soyabean
– Cotton seeds
– Sunflower
Tea
- Tea, introduced by the British, thrives in tropical and sub-tropical climates with fertile, well-drained soil.
- It needs a warm, moist, frost-free climate year-round and is labor-intensive. Major producing states include Assam, Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
Coffee
- Yemen coffee, highly sought after worldwide, is cultivated in India. Introduced in the Baba Budan Hills, it’s mainly grown in the Nilgiris across Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
Horticulture Crops
India produces both tropical and temperate fruits, including:
- Mangoes from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal
- Oranges from Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya), bananas from Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu
- Lichi and Guava from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
- Pineapples from Meghalaya
- Grapes from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra
- Apples, pears, apricots, and walnuts from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh
Non-Food Crops
Rubber
- Rubber, primarily an equatorial crop, can also thrive in tropical and sub-tropical regions. It needs a moist, humid climate with over 200 cm rainfall and temperatures exceeding 25°C.
- Grown mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Garo hills of Meghalaya, rubber serves as a vital industrial raw material.
Fibre Crops
- Cotton, jute, hemp, and natural silk are the four major fiber crops in India. While cotton, jute, and hemp are derived from plants grown in soil, silk is obtained from silkworm cocoons fed on mulberry leaves.
- The rearing of silkworms for silk production is called sericulture.
Cotton
- Cotton, originating in India, is a key raw material for textiles. In 2017, India was the second-largest producer globally, after China.
- It thrives in the drier regions of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau, needing high temperatures, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days, and ample sunshine.
- A Kharif crop, it matures in 6 to 8 months. Major producers include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.
Jute
- Jute, known as the golden fiber, thrives in well-drained fertile soils of floodplains, needing high temperatures during growth.
- Major producing states include West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, and Meghalaya. It’s used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other artifacts.
Technological and Institutional Reforms
Agriculture, employing over 60% of the population, requires significant technical and institutional reforms. Initiatives like the Green Revolution and the White Revolution aimed to enhance agricultural productivity and efficiency.
Some initiatives taken by the Government are:
Government schemes like Kisan Credit Card (KCC) and Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) aim to support farmers financially. Special weather bulletins and agricultural programs on radio and TV provide crucial information. Additionally, minimum support prices are announced to prevent farmer exploitation by speculators and middlemen.
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