Agriculture

• India is agriculturally important Country & primary activity is agriculture.

• 2/3rd of its population engaged in agricultural activities.

Types of Farming –
1. Primitive Subsistence Farming
2. Intensive Subsistence Farming
3. Commercial Farming (Plantation)

1. Primitive Subsistence Farming –

• Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches of land with the

help of primitive tools.
• 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.

2. Intensive Subsistence Farming -

• 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.
• 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 the absence of alternative
source of livelihood.
• Thus, there is enormous pressure on agricultural land.

3. 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.

(a) Plantation –
• Plantation is also a type of commercial farming. In this type of farming, a
single crop is grown on a large area.
• The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. Plantations cover
large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant
labourers.
• All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries.
• In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc. are important plantation
crops. Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in Karnataka are some of the
important plantation crops grown in these states.

Which factors plays important role in the development of plantations?

• The production in plantation mainly for market, a well-developed network of transport and
communication connecting the plantation areas, processing industries and markets plays an
important role in the development of plantations.
Cropping Pattern/Cropping Seasons –
India has three cropping seasons & Various types of food and fibre crops, vegetables
and fruits, spices, and condiments, etc. constitute some of the important crops grown
in the country.
Rabi, Kharif , Zaid

(a) Rabi –
• Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in
summer from April to June.
• Rabi crops - wheat, barley, peas, gram, and mustard.
• Area - grown in large parts of India, states from the north and northwestern
parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir,
Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh are important for the production of wheat and
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 abovementioned rabi crops.

(b) Kharif –
• Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these
are harvested in September-October.
• Crops - paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and
soyabean.
• Area - Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil
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.

(C) Zaid –
• In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer
months known as the Zaid season.
• Crops - Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, and fodder crops. Sugarcane takes
almost a year to grow.
Difference Between Rice & Paddy ?
Paddy becomes rice after the removal of Husk. Therefore , Paddy is
the rice with husk.

Major Crops of India –

• A variety of food and non-food crops are grown in different parts of the country
depending upon the variations in soil, climate, and cultivation practices.
• Major crops grown in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee,
sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton, and jute, etc.

(1) Rice –
• It is the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India. Our country is the
second largest producer of rice in the world after China.
• It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high
humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
• In the areas of less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation.
• 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 tube wells have made it
possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana and
western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.

(2) 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 requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over
the growing season.
• There are two important wheat-growing zones in the country – the Ganga-
Satluj plains in the northwest and black soil region of the Deccan.
• The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Rajasthan, and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

(3) 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.

(a) Jowar -

• 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,
and Madhya Pradesh.
(b) Bajra
• Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. Major Bajra producing
States are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Haryana.
(c) Ragi -
• Ragi is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy, and
shallow black soils. Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand, and Arunachal Pradesh.
(4) 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.
(5) Pulses –
• India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.
• These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet. Major pulses that are
grown in India are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.
• Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions. Being
leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil fertility by
fixing nitrogen from the air.
• Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with other crops. Major pulse
producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, and Karnataka.

Food Crops other than Grains

(1) Sugarcane –

• It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and humid

climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between
75cm. and 100cm.
• Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall. It can be grown on a variety
of soils and needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.
• India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after Brazil. It is the
main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses.
• The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, and
Haryana.
(2) Oil Seeds –
• In 2018 India was the second largest producer of groundnut in the world after
China.
• In rapeseed production India was third largest producer in the world after
Canada and China in 2018. Different oil seeds are grown covering
approximately 12 per cent of the total cropped area of the country.
• Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum
(til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed, and sunflower.
• Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums. However, some of
these are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics, and
ointments.

Groundnut -
• Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts 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.
(3) 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 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 its freshness.
• Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri
districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.
• Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra
Pradesh, and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country.
• In 2018 India was the second largest producer of tea after China.
(4) Coffee -

• Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality. The Arabica variety initially brought
from Yemen is produced in the country.
• This variety is in great demand all over the world. Initially its cultivation was introduced on
the Baba Budan Hills and even today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka,
Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Horticulture Crops
• In 2018, India was the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the
world after China.
• India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.
• Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West
Bengal,
• Oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya),
• Bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu,
• Lichi and guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of Meghalaya, grapes
of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra, apples, pears, apricots and
walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are in great demand the
world over.
• India is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato,
brinjal and potato.

Non-Food Crops
(1) Rubber –

• It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical

and sub-tropical areas.
• It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and
temperature above 25°C.
• Rubber is an important industrial raw material. It is mainly grown in Kerala,
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Garo hills of
Meghalaya.

(2) Fibre Crops –

• Cotton, jute, hemp, and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in
India.
 • The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil, the latter is
obtained from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves especially
mulberry.
• Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.

(3) Cotton –
• India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.
• Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry. In 2017,
India was second largest producer of cotton after China.
• Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau.
It requires high temperature, light rainfall, or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and
bright sun-shine for its growth.
• It is a kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
• Major cotton-producing states are– Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and
Uttar Pradesh.

(4) Jute –
• It is known as the golden fibre. Jute grows well on well-drained fertile soils in
the flood plains where soils are renewed every year.
• High temperature is required during the time of growth. West Bengal, Bihar,
Assam, Odisha, and Meghalaya are the major jute producing states.
• It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other
artefacts. Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and
packing materials, particularly the nylon.

Institutional and technological reforms undertaken by the

Government of India to improve agriculture in the 1980s and
1990s were:

(1) Institutional Reforms :

• A Comprehensive Land Development Programme was initiated.

• Provision of crop insurance against drought, floods, cyclone, fire, and disease
was introduced.
 • Gramin Banks, Cooperative Societies and Banks were established for providing
loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.
• (Kisan Credit Card (KCC) was introduced.
• Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) was introduced.
• The government announced Minimum Support Price, remunerative and
procurement prices to reduce exploitation.

(2) Technological Reforms :

• HYV seeds, chemical fertilizer and pesticides were provided.

• Methods of irrigation were modernized.
• Latest agricultural equipments were introduced.
• Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were
introduced on radio and television.

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Extra Points –
• Zaid crops are mainly grown in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana,
and Tamil Nadu.
• Kharif Pulses: Arhar (Tur), Urd (Black gram), Moong (Green gram), Lobia
(Cowpea).
• Rabi Pulses: Gram, Lentil, Pea, Lathyrus and Rajesh.
• Pulses are grown in summer: green gram, Black gram.

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