India is an agriculturally important country.

through natural processes; land productivity

Two-thirds of its population is engaged in in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer
agricultural activities. Agriculture is a primary does not use fertilisers or other modern
activity, which produces most of the food that inputs. It is known by different names in
we consume. Besides food grains, it also different parts of the country.
produces raw material for various industries.
Can you name some such types of farmings?
Can you name some industries based on
It is jhumming in north-eastern states like
agricultural raw material?
Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland;
Moreover, some agricultural products like tea, Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district
coffee, spices, etc. are also exported. of Chhattishgarh, and in Andaman and
Nicobar Islands.
TYPES OF FARMING
Jhumming: The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture
Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in is known as ‘Milpa’ in Mexico and Central
our country. Over these years, cultivation America, ‘Conuco’ in Venzuela, ‘Roca’ in
methods have changed significantly depending Brazil, ‘Masole’ in Central Africa, ‘Ladang’
upon the characteristics of physical in Indonesia, ‘Ray’ in Vietnam.
environment, technological know-how and In India, this primitive form of cultivation
socio-cultural practices. Farming varies from is called ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya
subsistence to commercial type. At present, Pradesh, ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh,
in different parts of India, the following ‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Odisha,
farming systems are practised. ‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or ‘Waltre’
in South-eastern Rajasthan, ‘Khil’ in the
Primitive Subsistence Farming Himalayan belt, ‘Kuruwa’ in Jharkhand, and
This type of farming is still practised in few ‘Jhumming’ in the North-eastern region.
pockets of India. Primitive subsistence
agriculture is practised on small patches of
land with the help of primitive tools like hoe,
dao and digging sticks, and family/
community labour. This type of farming
depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of
the soil and suitability of other environmental
conditions to the crops grown.
It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.
Farmers clear a patch of land and produce
cereals and other food crops to sustain their
family. When the soil fertility decreases, the
farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land
for cultivation. This type of shifting allows
Nature to replenish the fertility of the soil Fig. 4.1

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 Rinjha lived with her family in a small village Plantation is also a type of commercial
at the outskirts of Diphu in Assam. She enjoys farming. In this type of farming, a single crop
watching her family members clearing, is grown on a large area. The plantation has
slashing and burning a patch of land for an interface of agriculture and industry.
cultivation. She often helps them in irrigating Plantations cover large tracts of land, using
the fields with water running through a capital intensive inputs, with the help of
bamboo canal from the nearby spring. She migrant labourers. All the produce is used
loves the surroundings and wants to stay as raw material in respective industries.
here as long as she can, but this little girl
In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane,
has no idea about the declining fertility of
banana, etc., are important plantation crops.
the soil and her family’s search for fresh a
Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in
patch of land in the next season.
Kar nataka are some of the important
plantation crops grown in these states. Since
Can you name the type of farming Rinjha’s the production is mainly for market, a well-
family is engaged in? developed network of transport and
Can you enlist some crops which are grown communication connecting the plantation
in such farming? areas, processing industries and markets
plays an important role in the development
Intensive Subsistence Farming of plantations.
This type of farming is practised in areas of
high population pressure on land. It is labour-
intensive farming, where high doses of
biochemical inputs and irrigation are used
for obtaining higher production.
Can you name some of the states of India
where such farming is practised?
Though the ‘right of inheritance’ leading
to the division of land among successive
generations has rendered land-holding size
uneconomical, the farmers continue to take
maximum output from the limited land in Fig. 4.2: Banana plantation in Southern
the absence of alternative source of livelihood. part of India
Thus, there is enormous pressure on
agricultural land.

Commercial Farming
The main characteristic of this type of farming
is the use of higher doses of modern inputs,
e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical
fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order
to obtain higher productivity. The degree of
commercialisation of agriculture varies from
one region to another. For example, rice is a
commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but
in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop.
Can you give some more examples of crops
which may be commercial in one region and
may provide subsistence in another region? Fig. 4.3: Bamboo plantation in North-east

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CROPPING PATTERN water melon, muskmelon, cucumber,
vegetables and fodder crops. Sugarcane takes
You have studied the physical diversities and
almost a year to grow.
plurality of cultures in India. These are also
reflected in agricultural practices and Major Crops
cropping patterns in the country. Various
A variety of food and non food crops are
types of food and fibre crops, vegetables and
grown in different parts of the country
fruits, spices and condiments, etc. constitute depending upon the variations in soil, climate
some of the important crops grown in the and cultivation practices. Major crops grown
country. India has three cropping seasons in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea,
— rabi, kharif and zaid. coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute,
Rabi crops are sown in winter from October etc.
to December and harvested in summer from
April to June. Some of the important rabi Rice: It is the staple food crop of a majority of
crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and the people in India. Our country is the second
mustard. Though, these crops are grown in largest producer of rice in the world after
large parts of India, states from the north China. It is a kharif crop which requires high
and north-western parts such as Punjab, temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and with annual rainfall above 100 cm. In the areas
Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are of less rainfall, it grows with the help of
important for the production of wheat and irrigation.
other rabi crops. Availability of precipitation
during winter months due to the western
temperate cyclones helps in the success of
these crops. However, the success of the green
revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar
Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan has also been
an important factor in the growth of the above-
mentioned rabi crops.
Kharif crops are grown with the onset of
monsoon in different parts of the country and
these are harvested in September-October.
Important crops grown during this season
are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar),
moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and
soyabean. Some of the most important rice- Fig. 4.4 (a): Rice Cultivation
growing regions are Assam, West Bengal,
coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, T amil Nadu, Kerala and
Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast)
along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Recently,
paddy has also become an important crop of
Punjab and Haryana. In states like Assam,
West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy
are grown in a year. These are Aus, Aman
and Boro.
In between the rabi and the kharif seasons,
there is a short season during the summer
months known as the Zaid season. Some of
Fig. 4.4 (b): Rice is ready to be harvested in the
the crops produced during ‘zaid’ are
field
32 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II

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India: Distribution of Rice

A GRICULTURE 33

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 Rice is grown in the plains of north and
north-eastern India, coastal areas and the
deltaic regions. Development of dense network
of canal irrigation and tubewells have made
it possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall
such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar
Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.
Wheat: This is the second most important
cereal crop. It is the main food crop, in north
and north-western part of the country. This
rabi crop requires a cool growing season and
a bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It
Fig. 4.6: Bajra Cultivation
requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly-
distributed over the growing season. There
Bajra grows well on sandy soils and
are two important wheat-growing zones in the
shallow black soil. Major Bajra producing
country – the Ganga-Satluj plains in the
States are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
north-west and black soil region of the Deccan.
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. Ragi is
The major wheat-producing states are
a crop of dry regions and grows well on red,
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils.
Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.
Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
Maize: It is a crop which is used both as
food and fodder. It is a kharif crop which
requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C
and grows well in old alluvial soil. In some
states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season
also. Use of modern inputs such as HYV
seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have
contributed to the increasing production of
maize. Major maize-producing states are
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Fig. 4.5: Wheat Cultivation

Millets: Jowar, bajra and ragi are the

important millets grown in India. Though,
these are known as coarse grains, they have
very high nutritional value. For example, ragi
is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro
nutrients and roughage. Jowar is the third
most important food crop with respect to area
and production. It is a rain-fed crop mostly
grown in the moist areas which hardly needs
irrigation. Major Jowar producing States are
Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
Fig. 4.7: Maize Cultivation
and Madhya Pradesh.

34 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II

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India: Distribution of Wheat

A GRICULTURE 35

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Pulses: India is the largest producer as well variety of soils and needs manual labour from
as the consumer of pulses in the world. These sowing to harvesting. India is the second
are the major source of protein in a vegetarian largest producer of sugarcane only after
diet. Major pulses that are grown in India are Brazil. It is the main source of sugar, gur
tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and (jaggary), khandsari and molasses. The major
gram. Can you distinguish which of these sugarcane-producing states are Uttar
pulses are grown in the kharif season and Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil
which are grown in the rabi season? Pulses Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar,
need less moisture and survive even in dry Punjab and Haryana.
conditions. Being leguminous crops, all these
Oil Seeds: In 2020 India was the second
crops except arhar help in restoring soil
largest producer of groundnut in the world
fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air.
after China. Different oil seeds are grown
Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation
with other crops. Major pulse producing states covering approximately 12 per cent of the total
in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, cropped area of the country. Main oil-seeds
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. produced in India are groundnut, mustard,
coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor
Food Crops other than Grains seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.
Sugarcane: It is a tropical as well as a Most of these are edible and used as cooking
subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and mediums. However, some of these are also
humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to used as raw material in the production of
27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm. soap, cosmetics and ointments.
and 100cm. Irrigation is required in the Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts
regions of low rainfall. It can be grown on a for about half of the major oilseeds produced in
the country. Gujarat was the largest producer
of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil
Nadu in 2019–20. Linseed and mustard are rabi
crops. Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and
rabi crop in south India. Castor seed is grown
both as rabi and kharif crop.
Tea: Tea cultivation is an example of
plantation agriculture. It is also an important
beverage crop introduced in India initially by
the British. Today, most of the tea plantations
are owned by Indians. The tea plant grows
well in tropical and sub-tropical climates
endowed with deep and fertile well-drained
soil, rich in humus and organic matter. Tea
bushes require warm and moist frost-free
Fig. 4.8: Sugarcane Cultivation

Fig. 4.9: Groundnut, sunflower and mustard are ready to be harvested in the field

36 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II

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climate all through the
year. Frequent showers
evenly distributed over
the year ensure
continuous growth of
tender leaves. Tea is a
labour-intensive industry.
It requires abundant,
cheap and skilled labour.
Tea is processed within
the tea garden to restore Fig. 4.10: Tea Cultivation Fig. 4.11: Tea-leaves Harvesting
its freshness. Major tea-
producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling Horticulture C rops: In 2020, India was
Crops:
and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil the second largest producer of fruits and
Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal vegetables in the world after China. India is
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra a producer of tropical as well as temperate
Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing fruits. Mangoes of Maharashtra, A ndhra
states in the country. In 2020 India was the Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West
second largest producer of tea after China. Bengal, oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee
Cof fe
offee: Indian coffee is known in the world
fee: (Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala, Mizoram,
for its good quality. The A rabica variety Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, lichi and guava
initially brought from Yemen is produced in of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of
the country. This variety is in great demand Meghalaya, grapes of Andhra Pradesh,
all over the world. Initially its cultivation was Telangana and Maharashtra, apples, pears,
introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir
today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri and Himachal Pradesh are in great demand
in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. the world over.

Fig. 4.12: Apricots, apple and pomegranate

Fig. 4.13: Cultivation of vegetables – peas, cauliflower, tomato and brinjal

Source: Pocket book of agricultural statistics, 2022, Govt. of India. Directorate of Economics and
Statistics.
A GRICULTURE 37

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 India is an important producer of pea, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil
and potato. Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
Non-F
on-Foo od C rops
Crops Jute: It is known as the golden fibre. Jute
Rubber: It is an equatorial crop, but under grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the
special conditions, it is also grown in tropical flood plains where soils are renewed every year.
and sub-tropical areas. It requires moist and High temperature is required during the time
humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 of growth. West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha
cm. and temperature above 25°C. and Meghalaya are the major jute producing
Rubber is an important industrial raw states. It is used in making gunny bags, mats,
material. It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.
Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar
Technological and I nstitutional Reforms
islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.
It was mentioned in the previous pages that
agriculture has been practised in India for
List the items which are made of rubber and thousands of years. Sustained uses of land
are used by us. without compatible techno-institutional
changes have hindered the pace of agricultural
Fibre Crops: Cotton, jute, hemp and natural development. Inspite of development of sources
silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India. of irrigation most of the farmers in large parts
The first three are derived from the crops grown of the country still depend upon monsoon and
in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of natural fertility in order to carry on their
the silkworms fed on green leaves specially agriculture. For a growing population, this
mulberry. Rearing of silk worms for the poses a serious challenge. Agriculture which
production of silk fibre is known as sericulture
sericulture. provides livelihood for more than 60 per cent of
Cotton: India is believed to be the original its population, needs some serious technical
and institutional reforms. Thus,
home of the cotton plant. Cotton is one of
collectivisation, consolidation of holdings,
the main raw materials for cotton textile
cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc.
industry. India is second largest producer of
were given priority to bring about institutional
cotton after China. Cotton grows well in drier
reforms in the country after Independence.
parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan
‘Land reform’ was the main focus of our First
plateau. It requires high temperature, light
Five Year Plan. The right of inheritance had
rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and
already led to fragmentation of land holdings
bright sun-shine for its growth. It is a kharif
necessitating consolidation of holdings.
crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
The laws of land reforms were enacted but
Major cotton-producing states are–
the implementation was lacking or lukewarm.
The Government of India embarked upon
introducing agricultural reforms to improve
Indian agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s.
The Green Revolution based on the use of
package technology and the White Revolution
(Operation Flood) were some of the strategies
initiated to improve the lot of Indian agriculture.
But, this too led to the concentration of
development in few selected areas. Therefore,
in the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land
development programme was initiated, which
Fig. 4.14: Cotton Cultivation
included both institutional and technical

38 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II

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 Fig. 4.15: Modern technological equipments used in agriculture

reforms. Provision for crop insurance against Satyagraha as one of the foremost
drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, satyagrahis. He was one of the votaries of
establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative Gandhi’s concept of gram swarajya. After
societies and banks for providing loan facilities Gandhiji’s martyrdom, Vinoba Bhave
to the farmers at lower rates of interest were undertook padyatra to spread Gandhiji’s
some important steps in this direction. message covered almost the entire country.
Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Once, when he was delivering a lecture at
Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other Pochampalli in Andhra Pradesh, some poor
schemes introduced by the Government of India landless villagers demanded some land for
for the benefit of the farmers. Moreover, special their economic well-being. Vinoba Bhave
weather bulletins and agricultural programmes could not promise it to them immediately but
for farmers were introduced on the radio and assured them to talk to the Government of
television. The government also announces India regarding provision of land for them if
minimum support price, remunerative and they undertook cooperative farming.
procurement prices for important crops to check Suddenly, Shri Ram Chandra Reddy stood
the exploitation of farmers by speculators and up and offered 80 acres of land to be
middlemen. distributed among 80 land-less villagers.
This act was known as ‘Bhoodan’. Later he
travelled and introduced his ideas widely all
Collect information about agriculture,
over India. Some zamindars, owners of
horticulture, agricultural schemes, etc. from
many villages offered to distribute some
Farmers’ Portal website https://farmer.
villages among the landless. It was known
gov.in/FarmerHome.aspx. Discuss about the
as Gramdan. However, many land-owners
benefits of the information available on
chose to provide some part of their land to
the portal.
the poor farmers due to the fear of land
ceiling act. This Bhoodan- Gramdan
Bhoodan – Gramdan movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave is also
Mahatma Gandhi declared Vinoba Bhave as known as the Blood-less Revolution.
his spiritual heir. He also participated in

A GRICULTURE 39

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 EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES

1. Multiple choice questions.

(i) Which one of the following describes a system of agriculture where a single
crop is grown on a large area?
(a) Shifting Agriculture
(b) Plantation Agriculture
(c) Horticulture
(d) Intensive Agriculture

(ii) Which one of the following is a rabi crop?

(a) Rice
(b) Gram
(c) Millets
(d) Cotton

(iii) Which one of the following is a leguminous crop?

(a) Pulses
(b) Jawar
(c) Millets
(d) Sesamum

2. Answer the following questions in 30 words.

(i) Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical conditions
required for its growth.
(ii) Name one staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced.
(iii) Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the
government in the interest of farmers.

3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words.

(i) Suggest the initiative taken by the government to ensure the increase in
agricultural production.
(ii) Describe the geographical conditions required for the growth of rice.

PROJECT WORK
1. Group discussion on the necessity of literacy among farmers.
2. On an outline map of India show wheat producing areas.

40 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II

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ACTIVITY
Solve the puzzle by following your search horizontally and vertically to find the
hidden answers.

A Z M X N C B V N X A H D Q
S D E W S R J D Q J Z V R E
D K H A R I F G W F M R F W
F N L R G C H H R S B S V T
G B C W H E A T Y A C H B R
H R T K A S S E P H X A N W
J I E S J O W A R J Z H D T
K C L A E G A C O F F E E Y
L T E F Y M T A T S S R G I
P D E J O U Y V E J G F A U
O U M H Q S U D I T S W S P
U O A C O T T O N E A H F O
Y O L F L U S R Q Q D T W I
T M U A H R G Y K T R A B F
E A K D G D Q H S U O I W H
W Q Z C X V B N M K J A S L

1 . The two staple food crops of India.

2 . This is the summer cropping season of India.
3 . Pulses like arhar, moong, gram, urad contain…
4 . It is a coarse grain.
5 . The two important beverages in India are…
6 . One of the four major fibers grown on black soils.

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