India is predominantly an agriculture country. Agriculture contributes significantly to the National Income. At the same time Indian agriculture is completely dependent on the vagaries of monsoon.
Regional
pattern of major crops cultivated in India
India
is predominantly an agriculture country. Agriculture contributes significantly
to the National Income. At the same time Indian agriculture is completely
dependent on the vagaries of monsoon. Indian farmers gamble their fate with
monsoon every year. In spite of the vagaries of monsoon and lack of
modernization, Indian farmers cultivate varieties of crops such as paddy,
wheat, sugarcane, jute and cotton. Among these crops, paddy and wheat are the
major crops of India. Rice is the staple food for people living in southern
India and wheat is the staple food for the north Indians.
Paddy
is the most common crop cultivated in India. Paddy is a tropical crop. The crop
grows well on alluvial soil and deltaic soil, and requires an average monthly
temperature of 25°C. The rainfall requirement for paddy cultivation is
average150cm annually. Paddy can also be cultivated with the help of irrigation
in the areas receiving less rainfall. The crop requires cheap labour at the
time of sowing.
Major cultivation regions: West
Bengal, Assam, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the major rice
producing sates in India. In the deltaic areas of the river Mahanadi, the
Cauvery, the Krishna and the Godavari, paddy is cultivated extensively. In the
hilly areas of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, paddy
is cultivated with the help of irrigation.
Methods of cultivation: Drilling,
dibbling and transplanting are the three method of paddy production: Sukaradhan
and Sugandh 5 are the two important variety of seeds recommended for paddy
cultivation on hilly areas.
The
climatic conditions in northern and western parts of India favour wheat
cultivation. The crops grow well on clayey, loamy and black soil and require an
average annual rainfall of 50-60cm. The temperature requirement for wheat is
10°C at the time of sowing and 15-20°C at the time of ripening. Wheat is
cultivated in some places with help of irrigation in the areas receiving less
rainfall.
Major wheat cultivating regions: India
cultivates two types of wheat, the winter wheat and the spring wheat. Uttar
Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab are the major wheat producing states in India.
Apart from these regions, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh produce significant quantity of wheat annually.
Cotton
and Jute: Cotton and Jute are the two main fibre as well as cash crops
cultivated in India. Cotton is used in textile industry and Jute is used in
cement and sugar industries for packing the products. Jute has a significant
contribution towards National Income of the country. Jute is being exported to
many countries, and hence brings valuable foreign exchange to India.
Cotton
is classified based on its length into short staple cotton, medium staple
cotton and long staple cotton. The long staple cotton is more valuable than
other two varieties. Cotton is used in manufacturing textiles. Cotton seeds are
used in manufacturing oil seeds. The crop grows well on regur soil or black
soil and requires an average monthly temperature of 20°C to 30°C. The annual
rainfall requirement for cotton is 50-100cm. Cotton cultivation requires cheap
and skilled labour at the time of plucking cotton from cotton plants.
Major cotton cultivation regions: Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and
Haryana are the major cotton producing states in India.
Jute
grows well on alluvial and loamy soil, and requires an average monthly
temperature of 30°C. The annual rainfall requirement for Jute cultivation is
150cm. Jute cultivation requires cheap and skilled labour for retting of the
jute plant.
Retting,
a microbiological process, loosens the outer bark of the jute plant and helps
to remove fibre from its stalk. In order to soften the outer bark the stalk
should be dipped in stagnant water for about 15 days. Jute is used to
manufacture jute textiles and packing material.
Major
jute cultivation regions: West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa and Meghalaya are
the important jute producing states in India. India was ranking first in jute
cultivation prior to the partition in 1947. Now, major jute cultivation regions
are found in Bangladesh.
The
crops that are cultivated in plantations or estates particularly in hilly areas
are termed as plantation crops. Plantations crops are cultivated under factory
system or company system. The plantation cropping system developed
significantly during the British rule in India. Tea, coffee and rubber are the
three important plantation crops cultivated in India. Tea and coffee are
beverage crops and are used to prepare beverages. Rubber is used in the
manufacture of automobile and aviation wheel tyres.
Tea
grows well on a soil that is rich in humus and iron content. Gently sloping
land is most suitable for tea cultivation. Tea cultivation requires an average
monthly temperature of 30°C and an average annual rainfall of 150-250cm.
Cultivation of Tea requires cheap and skilled labour at the time of pruning. .
Hill
slopes in the Brahmaputra and Surma valleys in Assam, and some parts of West
Bengal, hill slopes in the Wyanad hills in Kerala, hill slopes of Anaimalai
hills and Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nadu are the major tea growing regions in
India.
Coffee
grows well in soils that are rich in humus and iron content. Gently sloping
land is most suitable for coffee cultivation. The crop requires an average
monthly temperature of 15°C -28°C and an average annual rainfall of 150 -
200cm. Cheap and skilled labour at the time of pruning is an additional
requirement of coffee cultivation. Arabica and Robusta are the two varieties of
coffee cultivated on Indian soil. Arabica is a better variety of a coffee and
is exported to many European countries. United Kingdom is a major buyer for
Indian coffee.
Karnataka
is a major coffee producing state in India. Chikkamagalur and Kodagu districts
in Karnataka account for the entire coffee produced in Karnataka. Coffee is
also cultivated in Nilgiri district in Tamil Nadu and Wyanad district in
Kerala,
Rubber
grows well on any soil but preferably at an altitude between 300 and 700 meters.
Rubber cultivation can be carried out on laterite soil with the help of
fertilizers. Rubber cultivation requires an average monthly temperature of
20°C. The crop requires an average annual rainfall of 300cm. The south-east
monsoon winds brings the required range of rainfall to Kerala every year. The
climatic conditions in Kerala are most suitable for rubber cultivation. Thus,
Kerala is the only significant producer of rubber in India.
Agriculture and Industries of India : Tag: Industries of India : - Regional pattern of major crops cultivated in India