Cropping Patterns and Major Crops in different States of India

A diversity of food and non-food crops are grown in various parts of the country depending upon several factors such as soil, climate and cultivation practices. Major crops grown in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute, etc.
Major Crops in India divided into Four Categories :
1. Food Grains : Rice, Wheat, Maize, Millets and Pulses.
2. Cash Crops : Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco & oilseeds.
3. Plantation Crops : Tea, Coffee, Coconut and Rubber.
4. Horticulture Crops : Fruits and Vegetables.

Cropping Pattern :
India is top producer country of many crops. On the basis of seasons, the crops in India have been divided into three crops seasons - Rabi, Kharif and Zaid.

1. Rabi Crops
Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June every year. Some of the major crops in India include - Wheat, Barley, Peas, Gram and Mustard etc.
These crops are grown in large parts of the north and northwestern States of India such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Availability of Water : precipitation due western temperate cyclone in winter, canal irrigation.
Some Rabi Crops growth success of green revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.

2. Kharif Crops (Summer Crops/Monsoon Crops) :
Kharif crops are usually sown with the beginning of the first rain in July, during southwest monsoon season and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown in India - Paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean. Major crops growing States are - Assam, West Bengal, coastal region of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Tamil Nadu, Kerla and Maharashtra.
Recently, in Punjab and Haryana - Paddy has important crop.
Water : Southwest monsoon, water intensive crops.

3. Zaid Crops
These crops grown in between the rabi and the kharif seasons. There is short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season. It is grown in some parts of country during March to June. Some major crops are - watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops. Sugarcane takes almost year to grow. It grown in most of the northern and northwestern States of India.

Various Factors for Cropping Pattern :
• Agro-climatic conditions of the region's
• Availability of resources
• Market forces
• Socio-economic conditions of the farmers
• Demand and supply of agricultural produce etc.


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Government Of India :

Accordingly, Government of India has been emphasising promotion of various crops/cropping system viz. rice, wheat, pulses, coarse cereals, nutritional cereals and commercial crops under National Food Security Mission (NFSM), oilseed under NFSM-Oilseeds, horticultural crops under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH). The new technologies on crops/cropping pattern are demonstrated at the farmers' field through State Department of Agriculture/ Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)/ State Agriculture Universities (SAUs)/ Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) etc. and are creating awareness among farmers to choose appropriate crops/cropping system.

Better Planning of Cropping Systems by :
• The Department of Agriculture
• Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has organized seven Agro Climatic Zonal Conference with the State Governments
• ICAR
• Agricultural Universities
• KVKs

 A study on "Identification of cropping system module for different farming system" at 36 locations through AICRP on Integrated Farming System has been conducted in 31 districts in 20 States.


Major Food Crops :
Rice
* It is a first major staple food crop of Indian people.
* India is the second largest producer in the world after China.
* Temperature : require high temperature in between 22-32°C.
* Rainfall : around 150-300 cm. Water intensive crop.
* In area of less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation e.g. in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan.
* Soil Type : deep clayey and loamy soil.
* Top Producing States : West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar respectively.
* Rice produce almost all states.

Wheat :
* It is second important staple food crop of Indian people. 
* It is the main food crop, in north and north-western part of the country.
*Temperature : between 10-15°C at time of sowing and 21-26°C in ripening and harvesting with bright sunshine.
* Rainfall : 50-75 cm annually rainfall.
* Soil Type : fertile loamy and clayey loamy.
* India is the second largest producer after China
* Two Important wheat growing zones - The Ganga-Satluj plains in northwest and black soil region of the Deccan.
* Top Producing States : Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan respectively.

Millets/Coarse Cereals
* It is a nutri-cereals.
* Millets used as food and fodder.
* Temperature : It grown with high temperature - 27-32°C.
* Rainfall : 50-100 cm
* Soil Type : less sensitive to soil deficiency (inferior alluvial or loamy soil).
* Important millets are Jowar, Bajra, Ragi etc.
* Top States with maximum Production : Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Rajasthan.
* Jowar is the third important staple food crop.

Pulses :
* India is the largest producer as well as the consumer pulses in the world.
* Most pulses are leguminous crops.
* These are major source of protein to the vegetarian population.
* Temperature : high temperature - 20-27°C.
* Rainfall : 25-60 cm.
* Soil type : Sandy-loamy soil.
* Major pulses of India include Gram, Tur or arhar (pigeon pea or Red gram), Urad (black gram), Moong (green gram), masur (lentil), Kulthi (horse gram), Matar (peas) etc. but most important varieties only gram and Tur/Arhar are more important pulses.
* These are mostly grown in rotation with other crops.
* Major producing states in India are - Madhya Pradesh, Rajsthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka respectively.

Maize :
* It is used both as food and fodder.
* Maize is a Kharif Crop and also grown in Rabi season.
* India is the seventh largest producer in the world.
* Temperature : 21 to 27°C.
* Rainfall : 100-200 cm.
* Soil Type : Old alluvial soil.
* Top Producing States : Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telengana respectively.
* Use of Modern Technology : HYV seeds, fertilizers and irrigation to increase production of maize.

Major Food Crops other than Grains :
Sugarcane
* Sugarcane belong to bamboo family of plants and it's indigenous to South Asia.
* It is a tropical as well as subtropical crop.
* Temperature : It required hot and humid climate with average temperature of 21 to 27°C.
* Rainfall : 75 to 150 cm.
* Soil Type : It can grow in variety of soils. Ideal soil is deep rich loamy soil.
* India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after Brazil.
* It is main source of sugar, gur (jaggery), khandsari and molasses.
* Maximum Producing States : Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bihar.

Groundnut
* It is most important oil seeds of India.
* Groundnut grown as both as Kharif & Rabi But 90-95% total area devoted to Kharif crop.
* Temperature : requires 20-30°C.
* Rainfall : 50-75 cm.
* Soil Type : light sandy loamy, red, yellow, & black soils.
* It need dry winter at the time of ripening.
* After China, India is second largest producer.
* Top Producing States : Gujrat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.

Tea
* India is the largest producer and consumer of black tea in the world.
* After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world.
* After China, India is the second largest producer of tea.
* It is a colonial plantation crop introduce in the eastern hill slopes of India.
* It is grown in tropical and subtropical climate.
* Temperature : within 13°C and 28-32°C.
* Rainfall : 150-300 cm.
* Soil Type : Acid soil (pH 4.5-5.5), rich in humans & iron content.
* Tea is a labour intensive industry.
* Maximum Producing States : Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu.

Coffee
* It requires hot and humid climate.
* Coffee is an equatorial crop but in special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and subtropical areas.
* It is one of most beverage drink in the world.
* Temperature : between 15-28°C.
* Rainfall : 150-250 cm
* Soil Type : Well drained, deep friable loamy soil.
* India is the seventh largest producer.
* Indian variety of coffee 'Arabica' is famous in the world. Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen and cultivated on Baba Budan Hills.
* 52% area under coffee Robusta (more caffeine) and 48% under coffee Arabica.
* Coffee Robusta has twice amount of coffeine than Arabica.
* Top Producing States : Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.

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Fiber Crops :
Cotton :
* Cotton is grown from ancient period. India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.
* It requires humid and tropical climate.
* It is an intensive labour industry.
* Temperature : between 22-30°C.
* Rainfall : 50-100 cm.
* Soil Type : black soil of Deccan Plateau.
* Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry.
* Maximum Producing States : Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajsthan respectively.
* Government Initiative - Silver Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission.

Jute :
* India is largest producing country in the world.
* It is also known as the golden fibre.
* Temperature : between 25-35°C.
* Rainfall : 150-250 cm.
* Soil Type : Well drained alluvial soil, flood plains.
* It is grown in rich alluvial soil of Ganga-Brahmaputra delta.
* Maximum Producing States : West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha.
* Government Initiative : Golden Fibre Revolution and Technology Mission on Jute.

India is an agriculturally important country.
More than 55% of its population engage in agricultural activities. Agriculture is primary activity, which produces most of the food that we consume. Besides food grains, it also produces raw material for various industries. 

References
PIB
E-book
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