Regional pattern of major crops cultivated in India

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.

 

1. Paddy Cultivation:

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.

 

2. Wheat Cultivation:

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.

 

The regional pattern of fibre crops cultivated in India.

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.

 

1. Cotton cultivation:

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.

 

2. Jute cultivation:

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.

 

Cultivation of plantation crops in India.

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.

 

1. Tea Cultivation:

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.

 

2. Coffee Cultivation:

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,

 

3. Rubber cultivation:

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.