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Agriculture In India # |ndia is an agriculturally important country. # Two-thirds of its population is engaged in agricultural activities, # Agriculture is a primary activity, which produces most of the food that we consume. # Besides food grains, it also produces raw material for various industries. Types Of Farming # Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in our country. # Over these years, cultivation methods have changed significantly depending upon the characteristics of physical environment, technological know-how and socio- cultural practices. # Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type: Primitive Subsistence Farming Intensive Subsistence Farming Commercial Farming Primitive Subsistence Farming # Primitive subsistence agriculture is practiced on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like Hoe, Dao and Digging Sticks, and Family Labor. # This farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown. # |t is also Known as ‘Slash and Burn Agriculture’, Farmers clear a patch of land and produce food crops to sustain their family. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift to a fresh patch of land fo; cultivation. This allows nature to replenish the fertility and essential nutrients of th Milpa — Mexico & Central America z Masole —Central Africa Jhumming — Assam & Meghalaya Dahiya — Madhya Pradesh ! Podu/ Penda — Andhra Pradesh Conuco - Venezuela 2 Ray — Vietnam Roca — Brazil Ladang — Indonesia Dipa — Chhattisgarh Valre/ Waltre — Rajasthan Commercial Farming # The main characteristic of farming is the use of higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. High Yielding Variety (HYV) Seeds, Chemical Fertilizers, Insecticides and Pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity. # The degree of commercialization of agriculture varies from one region to another. # For e.g.: Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop. # In Plantations, a single crop is grown on a large area. # In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc.. are important ‘ation crops. Cropping Pattern #@ Physical Diversity of India is also reflected in agricultural practices and cropping patterns in the country. # Various types of Food Crops, Fiber Crops, Vegetables, Fruits, Spices and Condiments, etc. constitute some of the important crops grown in the country. #@ India has three cropping seasons — Rabi, Kharif and Zaid. Kharif Crops @ \harif Crops are sown in onset of Monsoon and harvested in summer from September to October. # The important crops are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, toor, moong, and soyabean. # These crops are grown in states such as Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. Groundnuts Soybeans Wr # In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy are grown in os Zaid Crops @ In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid Season. # The important crops are cucumber, watermelon, muskmelon, vegetables and fodder crops. @ These crops are grown in states such as Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat. RICE @ It is the staple food crop. Our country is the 2°¢ Largest Producer of Rice in the world after China. @ |tis a kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm. @ Rice is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions. @ Network of dense irrigation is required for WHEAT # It is the 2"4 most important cereal 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. # |t requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season. # The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Millets 1. JOWAR:- » 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. 2. BAJRA:- » It grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. » Major bajra producing states were: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, 3 Swiarat-and Haryana, » Ragi 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. # It is a Kharif Crop which is used both as Food and Fodder and requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil. # 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, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh. SUGARCANE # Itis a Tropical as well as a Subtropical crop and grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm and 100cm. @ It is the main source of sugar, gur, khandsari and molasses. @ The major sugarcane producing states are: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Bihar, Puniab and OIL SEEDS @ In 2008, India was the 2 largest producer of Groundnut in the world after China. @ India was 3" largest producer of Rape Seed in the world after Canada and China in 2008. # Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum, soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower. # Most of these are Edible and used as Cooking Mediums. # However, some of these are used as raw material in the production of soap) cosmetics and ointments. # The major oil seeds producing states are: Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh Nadu. 
