Cropping Pattern: The physical diversities and plurality of cultures in India are also reflected in agricultural practices and cropping patterns in the country. Cropping Pattern can be defined as the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time. India has three cropping seasons — rabi, kharif and zaid.
- Rabi crops:
- These are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June.
- Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.
- Though, these crops are 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 above mentioned rabi crops.
- Kharif crops
- These 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-growing regions are 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.
- Zaid crops:
- In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season.
- Some of the crops produced during ‘zaid’ are watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops.
- Sugarcane takes almost a year to grow.
Major Crops: 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.Grains:
- 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 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 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.
- Millets:
- These are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses. Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.
- Temperature: Between 27-32°C
- Rainfall: Around 50-100 cm.
- Soil Type: Can be grown in inferior alluvial or loamy soil because they are less sensitive to soil deficiencies.
- Jowar- Rain-fed crop grown in the moist areas with less or no irrigation.
- Bajra- Sandy soils and shallow black soil.
- Ragi- Red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. (dry regions)
- Top Millets Producing States: Rajasthan > Karnataka > Maharashtra > Madhya Pradesh > Uttar Pradesh
- Jowar: Maharashtra > Karnataka > Madhya Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Andhra Pradesh.
- Bajra: Rajasthan > Uttar Pradesh > Gujarat > Madhya Pradesh > Haryana.
- 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 were Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. Major Bajra producing States were: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
- 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.
- Maize (also known as corn):
- It is a kharif crop.
- Temperature: Between 21-27°C
- Rainfall: High rainfall.
- Soil Type: Old alluvial soil.
- Top Maize Producing States: Karnataka > Maharashtra > Madhya Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Telangana
- India is the seventh largest producer worldwide.
- It is used both as food and fodder.
- Use of modern inputs such as High-Yielding Variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have contributed to the increasing production of maize.
- In some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season also.
- Pulses:
- Temperature: Between 20-27°C
- Rainfall: Around 25-60 cm.
- Soil Type: Sandy-loamy soil.
- Top Pulses Producing States: Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh > Karnataka.
- 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. Some of pulses are grown in the kharif season and some are grown in the rabi season.
- 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, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Food Crops other than Grains:
- 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.
- Oil Seeds:
- India is the second largest producer of groundnut in the world after china.
- In rape seed production India was third largest producer in the world after Canada and China.
- 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 is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country. Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.
- 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 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.
- India is the 3rd largest producer of tea after China.
- Coffee:
- Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality. Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world. Almost 80% of Indian coffee is exported.
- The two well known species of coffee grown are the Arabica and Robusta.
- The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country. This variety is in great demand all over the world. Intially its cultivation was introduced (in the 17th century) on the Baba Budan Hills and even today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with Karnataka accounting for 71%, followed by Kerala with 21% and Tamil Nadu (5% of overall production)
- non-traditional areas where cultivation is being done is of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Also in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura etc.
- Horticulture Crops:
- India 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 produces about 13 per cent of the world’s vegetables. It is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.
Non-Food Crops
- 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.
- India ranks fourth among the world’s natural rubber producers.
- 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 specially mulberry.
- Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.
- 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.
- India is 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.
- 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.
- Golden Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission on Jute and Mesta are two of the government initiatives to boost jute production in India.
Changing Cropping Patterns of India
- Cropping pattern is a dynamic concept because it changes over space and time. It can be defined as the proportion of area under various crops at a point of time. Sometimes a number of crops are cultivated in combinations and rotations over a period.
- In India, the cropping pattern is determined by rainfall, climate, temperature, soil type, technology and socio-economic conditions of the farmers.
- These changes in the cropping pattern mainly occurred due to increase in the prices of crops. After independence a lot of changes had been recorded in the cropping pattern in India.
- Green Revolution also led to changes in the cropping patterns. Rice was introduced to Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
- Cultivation of food crops has become very remunerative and productive due to the introduction of new technologies in Indian agriculture.
- Farmers are more intensively moving towards cultivation of cash/commercial crops such as oilseeds, fruits, vegetables, spices, etc. from the traditional non-cash/non-commercial crops such as cereals and pulses.
- Farmers have changed their crop patterns in order to reap the benefits of economic expansion as well.
- Climate change has affected the Indian monsoon due to which cropping patterns are also changing.
- Population explosion and urbanisation has led to land conversion, boosting intensive farming and has brought changes in cropping patterns.
- At the beginning of the present century, nearly 83 percent of the total cultivable land of India was put under food crops and the remaining 17 percent was put under non-food crops.
- But in 1944-45, there was a change in the cropping pattern in India and area under food crops came down to 80 percent and the area under non-food crops slightly increased to 20 percent.
- Among all the food crops, the largest increase in area since 1950- 51 has already been recorded by wheat cultivation which shows an increase of 132 percent by 1987-88.
- But in the case of both rice and pulses, the increase in area has been restricted to only 23 percent; Coarse cereals have recorded only marginal increase of 11 percent by 1987-88.
