MAJOR CROPS

Crop Importance/ Features Conditions for growth Region/ States

1.Rice 1. Staple food crop of a majority 1.High temperature (above 25° C) 1. Areas where rice is grown in
of the people in India. 2. High humidity with annual - plains of north and north- eastern India
2. India is the second largest rainfall above 100 cm. - coastal areas
producer of Rice in the world 3. In the areas of less rainfall, it grows
- deltaic regions
after China. with the help of irrigation. 2. Development of dense network of canal irrigation
3. Kharif crop 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 1. Second most important cereal 1. Requires a cool growing season Two important wheat growing zones
crop and bright sunshine at the time of 1.Ganga – Sutlej plains in north-west
2. It is the main food crop, in ripening. 2. Black soil region of the Deccan
north and north western part of 2. 50-75 cm annual rainfall, evenly Major wheat producing states are
the country distributed over the growing season. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
3. Rabi crop Bihar and Rajasthan.
3. Millets 1. Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India. Though these are known as coarse grains, they are very
high in nutritional value.

2. For example, Ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage.
3.1 Jowar Third most important crop with Rain fed crop mostly grown in the Major jowar producing states are Maharashtra,
(Sorghum) respect to area and production. moist areas which hardly need Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
irrigation.
3.2 Bajra - Grows well on sandy soil and Major bajra producing states are Rajasthan, Uttar
(Pearl millet) shallow black soil. Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana
3.3 Ragi Rich in iron, calcium and other Crop of dry regions and grows well on Major ragi producing states are Karnataka, Tamil
(Finger millets) micro nutrients and roughage red, black, sandy, loamy and Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
shallow black soils. Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
4. Maize 1.Used both as food and fodder 1. Temperature between 21° C and Major maize producing states are Karnataka,
2. Kharif and Rabi crop 27° C. Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra
3. Use of modern inputs such as 2. Grows well in old alluvial soils. Pradesh and Telangana.
HYV seeds, fertilizers and In some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi
irrigation have contributed to season also.
increasing production of maize.
 MAJOR CROPS

5. Pulses 1. India is the largest producer Pulses need less moisture and survive Major pulse producing states are Madhya Pradesh,
as well as consumer of pulses in even in dry conditions. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and
the world. Karnataka.
2. These are a major source of Can you distinguish which pulses are
protein in a vegetarian diet. grown in kharif season and which are
3. Major pulses that are grown in grown in rabi season? #
India are - Tur (arhar), urad, Kharif pulses- tur (arhar), moong, urad Being leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar
moong, masur, peas and gram. Rabi pulses- gram, masur, peas help in restoring soil fertility by fixing nitrogen
from the air. Therefore these are mostly grown in
rotation with other crops.

Food Crops other than Grains

Crop Importance/ Features Conditions for growth Region/ States
1.Sugarcane 1.Kharif crop 1.It grows well in hot and humid climate The major sugar producing states are Uttar
2. Tropical as well as sub- tropical with a temperature of 21° C to 27° C Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil
crop. 2.Annual rainfall between 75-100 cm Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar,
3. India is the second largest producer 3. Can be grown on a variety of soils. Punjab and Haryana.
of sugarcane only after Brazil. 4. Irrigation is required in regions of low
rainfall.
5. Needs manual labour from sowing to It is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggary),
harvesting. khandsari and molasses.
2. Oilseeds 1. Different oilseeds are grown covering approximately 12 percent of the total cropped area of the country.
2. Main oilseeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and
sunflower.
3. Uses
(a) cooking mediums
(b) Raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.
2.1 1. In 2017, India was the second largest - Gujarat was the largest producer of
Groundnut producer of groundnut in the world after groundnut followed by Rajasthan
China. and Andhra Pradesh in 2016-17.
2. Kharif crop
3. Accounts for about half of the major
oilseeds produced in the country.
 MAJOR CROPS

2.2 Rabi crops - -

Linseed and
Mustard
2.3 Kharif in north India - -
Sesamum Rabi in south India

2.4 Castor Grown as both both Rabi and Kharif crop. - -

seed
2.5 In rapeseed production India was the third - -
Rapeseed largest producer in the world after Canada and
China in 2017.
3. Tea 1. Tea cultivation is an example of plantation 1. The tea plant grows well in Tropical and Major tea producing states are Assam,
agriculture. sub- tropical climates. hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri
2. An important beverage crop introduced in 2. Endowed with deep fertile, well drained districts of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu
India initially by the British. Today most of soils rich in humus and organic matter. and Kerala.
the tea plantations are owned by Indians. 3. Tea bushes require warm and moist frost Apart from these Himachal Pradesh,
3. Labour intensive industry free climate all through the year. Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra
4. Tea is processed within the tea garden to 4. Frequent showers evenly distributed over Pradesh and Tripura are also tea
restore its freshness. the year ensure continuous growth of tender producing states in the country.
5. In 2017 India was the second largest leaves.
producer of tea after China. 5. Tea is a labour intensive industry. It
requires abundant cheap and skilled labour.
4. Coffee Indian coffee is known in the world for its good - The Arabica variety initially brought
quality. 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.
Even today its cultivation is confined
to the Nilgiris in Karnataka, Kerala
and Tamil Nadu.
5. 1. In 2017 India was the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China.
Horticulture 2. India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.
crops It is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.
 MAJOR CROPS

5.1 Mangoes Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
5.2 Oranges Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)
5.3 Bananas Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
5.4 Lichi and Guava Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
5.5 Pineapples Meghalaya
5.6 Grapes Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra
5.7 Apples, Pear and Apricots and Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are in great demand all over the world.
walnuts

Non- Food Crops

Crop Importance/ Features Conditions for growth Region/ States
1.Rubber 1. It is an equatorial crop, but under 1. It requires moist and humid It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
special conditions it is also grown in climate Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Garo hills of
tropical and sub- tropical areas. 2. Rainfall more than 200 cm Meghalaya.
2. Important industrial raw material. 3. Temperature above 25° C. Activity:
List the items which are made of rubber and are used by
us.
Auto tyres and tubes, footwear, belts and hoses, latex
foam, camel back.
2. Fibre 1. Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.
Crops 2. First three are derived from crops grown in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of silkworms fed on green leaves especially
mulberry.
3. Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.
2.1 1. India is believed to be the original 1. Cotton grows well in the drier Major cotton producing states are-Maharashtra,
Cotton home of the cotton plant. parts of the black cotton soil of the Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra
2. Cotton is one of the main raw materials Deccan Plateau. Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana
for the cotton textile industry. 2. It requires high temperature, and Uttar Pradesh.
3. In 2017, India was the second largest light rainfall or irrigation.
producer of cotton after China. 3. 210 frost-free days and bright
4. Kharif Crop sunshine for its growth.
5. requires 6-8 months to mature
 MAJOR CROPS

2.2 Jute 1. It is known as the golden fibre 1. Jute grows well on well drained, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya
2. Uses- used in making gunny bags, fertile soil in the flood plain where are the major jute producing states.
mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other soils are renewed every year.
artefacts. 2. High temperature is required Problem: Due to its high cost, it is losing market to
during the time of growth. synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly the
nylon.