Classify the Indian Agriculture on the basis of seasons.
Agriculture can be classified into the following three types on the basis of seasons.
a. Kharif
b. Rabi
c. Zaid
Kharif:
Crops such as rice, maize, millet, peanut, etc., which are sown in June-July and are harvested in October-November are called Kharif crops.
Rabi:
Crops such as wheat, barley, oil-seeds, etc., which are sown in the months of October-November and are harvested in the months of March-April are called Rabi crops.
Zaid:
Crops such as watermelon, bottle gourd, and cucumber which are sown and harvested in the short period between the Kharif and Rabi seasons are called Zaid crops.
Which are garden crops in India?
Coffee, tea, rubber, cinchona, and spices are the garden crops that are grown in India.
Crops which are grown in large gardens or plantations and can be used as beverages and also for commercial purposes are called as Garden Crops.
What do you understand by cash crops?
Cash crops are those which are cultivated for business purposes with the aim of making a profit are called Cash crops.
Examples:
Raw cotton, jute, tobacco, and oil-seeds.
How many times rice crops are cultivated in India?
Three types of rice crops are cultivated in India.
Based on Indian climate, the three types of rice crops grown are:
a. Aman which is grown during the rainy season.
b. Aus which is grown during the winter season.
c. Boro which is grown during the summer season.
Which districts in Rajasthan are known for dry agriculture?
Bhilwara, Pali, Ajmer, Tonk, Sikar, and Dausa are the Central districts of Rajasthan which are known for dry agriculture.
Dry agriculture refers to the type of farming which is done depending on natural rainfall with less or no irrigation.
What is the meaning of irrigated land?
Agricultural lands which are supplied with water by different means of irrigation such as pipelines, sprinklers, ditches, etc., are called irrigated lands. In simple words, agricultural lands that are irrigated well are called irrigated lands.
which are main cotton producer states of India?
Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are the three main cotton producing states of India.
Long and thin yarn cotton is produced in Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan.
Medium length yarn cotton is produced in Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
What do you mean by Narma?
Long and thin yarn cotton is also known as Narma. It is produced in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. It has 50 percent share in total production.
Classify Indian crops on the basis of usage.
Indian crops are classified into four types on the basis of usage. They are:
a. Food Crops
b. Commercial or commodity crops
c. Garden Crops
d. Yard crops
a. Food Crops:
Crops that are grown for use as food are called food crops.
Example – Rice, wheat, maize, barley, and millets.
b. Commercial or commodity crops:
Crops that are grown aiming at making a profit by selling them are called commercial or commodity crops. These crops can be either sold directly or can be sent as raw material to other industries. These crops are also known as cash crops.
Example – Sugarcane is used as raw material in sugar industries.
c. Garden crops:
Crops that are grown in gardens or plantations and are used for both domestic, as well as commercial purposes, are called Garden Crops.
Example – Coffee, tea, rubber, Cinchona, etc.,
d. Yard Crops:
The cultivation of fruits and vegetables falls under yard crops.
Example – Radish, greens, lettuce, onion, etc.,
Describe the cultivation of maize crop.
Maize is the second largest Kharif crop. The cultivation of maize requires nitrogen-rich soil.
Maize grows well in areas where temperature ranges from 12-35 centigrade and receive rainfall between 50-100 centimetres.
Maize is used as a raw material in starch and glucose manufacturing industries and hence it is a commercial crop. India ranks tenth in maize production.
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh contribute 60 per cent of maize production in the country. In Rajasthan, maize is grown in the areas of Kota, Bundi, Bara, Jhalawar, Udaipur, Chittor, Banswara, Ajmer, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh. Even though maize is grown in many of the states, the production is still insufficient.
Explain about the contribution of mustard in oilseeds.
Mustard is one of the main oil-seeds that is grown in India. Nearly 70% of the mustard produced in the world is from India. Rajasthan is the leading producer of mustard in India. Rajasthan is followed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana.
The state of Rajasthan accounts for nearly 41% of the total mustard production in the country. Sawai Madhopur, Chittor, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Alwar, Bharatpur, Hanumangarh, Bhilawra are some of the places where mustard is grown in Rajasthan.
Explain about transferred or relocated agriculture.
The type of farming which is done after clearing the forests and burning the wood is known as transferred agriculture. This type of agriculture is mainly done by the tribals of India. The soil is made fertile by the ash which is left after burning. Farming can be done only when the fertility of the soil is ensured.
This type of farming is also called Jhooming agriculture. In this type, crops are grown for one year or season, and after that, it is left to regain its fertility. During this period, the people relocate to another place for farming.
This type of farming can be seen in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram.
Explain about the contribution of cotton in cash crops.
Cotton is a Kharif crop. Cotton grows well in the regions where the temperature is about 20-28 degree centigrade and rainfall is between 80-150 centimetres. Black soil which is rich in lime and potash is suitable for cultivating cotton.
Gujarat is the leading producer of cotton in the country followed by Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Cotton is grown in Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Bikaner, Kota, Bundi and Jhalawar regions of Rajasthan.
The three major types of cotton that is grown in India are:
a. Long and thin yarn cotton:
Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan are the leading producers of this type of cotton which contributes to nearly fifty percent of the total cotton produced.
b. Medium length yarn cotton:
Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu are the states that produce this type of cotton.
c. Short length yarn cotton:
This cotton is produced in small scale in almost all states of the country.
Explain the cultivation of millet crop.
Millets are one of the important food crops in our country. India is the first largest producer of millets in the world. Millet is a Kharif crop and is grown in regions which receive 40-60 centimetres of rainfall and has a temperature of about 15-20 degree centigrade.
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh produce nearly 85 percent of the total millets produced in our country. The other producers of millets are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab. Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur, Sikar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer are the places where millets are grown in Rajasthan.
Explain the contribution of the oilseed in agricultural crops in India.
Crops such as groundnut and mustard which are cultivated for yielding oil are called oil-seed crops. Their seeds are rich in oil content. India contributes nearly 10 per cent to the total oil-seed production of the world.
In India, groundnut, mustard, sesame, castor, sunflower and soyabean are the major oil-seed crops.
Groundnut:
a. Groundnut is the major oil-seed crop that is cultivated in India.
b. It is a Kharif crop.
c. India is the second largest producer of groundnut in the world.
d. Gujarat is the leading producer of groundnut in India. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are the other major producers of groundnut in India.
e. Cultivation of groundnut can be seen in Sawai Madhopur, Chittor, Jaipur, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Hanumangarh and Bhilawra in Rajasthan.
Mustard:
a. Mustard is one of the main oil-seeds that is grown in India.
b. Nearly 70% of the mustard produced in the world is from India. Rajasthan is the leading producer of mustard in India.
c. Rajasthan is followed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Punjab and Haryana.
d. The state of Rajasthan accounts for nearly 41% of the total mustard production in the country. Sawai Madhopur, Chittor, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Alwar, Bharatpur, Hanumangarh, Bhilawra are some of the places where mustard is grown in Rajasthan.
Other oilseed crops:
a. Other oil-seed crops such as castor and soybean are also grown in India.
b. Gujarat accounts for nearly sixty-five per cent of castor whereas twenty-five per cent is grown in Rajasthan.
c. Madhya Pradesh is the leading producer of soybeans in the country contributing nearly seventy per cent whereas Maharashtra and Rajasthan produce twenty and ten per cent respectively.
Measures are being taken to improve oil-seed production by bringing more production areas under irrigation, promotion of modern crop technology and to provide incentives to private sector participation.
Describe that what is the role of agriculture in the Indian economy?
Agriculture is the main occupation of India. The role of agriculture in the development of the Indian economy can be well understood from the following:
1. Source of employment:
a. Agriculture is the direct source of employment to most of the people.
b. Agriculture provides employment to more than 60 percent of the population.
c. Many agriculturists employ daily labourers for different agricultural activities like weeding, threshing, winnowing, etc., which generates income for them.
d. Moreover, the associated agricultural activities like animal husbandry, fishery, and forestry, etc., also provide employment opportunities to many individuals.
2. Helps in Gross Domestic Production (GDP):
a. There is a substantial increase in the GDP of India due to the improvement in agriculture and its associated activities.
b. Agriculture contributes about 17 percent of the total GDP.
c. Agriculture is the backbone of the rural as well the Indian economy on the whole.
3. Contribution to Foreign Trade:
a. Agriculture is the fourth largest exporting sector of India. India holds a tenth position in the export of agro products.
b. The agro products that are exported from India include tea, sugar, oilseeds, spices, tobacco, basmati rice, jute, and poultry.
c. Indian imports certain food grains from other countries. Thus, Indian agriculture holds 2.07 share in the total exports of the country.
4. Source of Raw material:
a. Many industries which are involved in textile, production of sugar, vegetable oil, jute, rubber, etc., takes their raw material from different agricultural products.
For example, Sugarcane is the raw material for the production of sugar.
5. The market for Industrial products:
a. Agriculture involves the use of modern machines and tools like tractors, combine harvester, thresher, pesticides, fertilizers, etc.,
b. This enables the other manufacturing industries to sell these machinery required for agriculture.
c. Agriculture provides a marketplace for other industrial products also.
Thus, agriculture plays a vital role in the development of Indian economy.
Classify the Indian farming methods used for agriculture.
The farming methods that are used for agriculture are classified into the following types:
a. Shifting or Jhooming agriculture
b. Subsistence agriculture
c. Intensive farming
d. Extensive farming
e. Plantation agriculture
f. Commercial agriculture
g. Dryland farming
h. Wetland farming
a. Shifting or Jhooming agriculture:
The type of agriculture in which forests are cut down and burnt and the soil is made fertile for farming is called Shifting or Jhooming agriculture.
b. Subsistence agriculture:
This type of farming is done using small and scattered land holdings and primitive tools. There are limited facilities for irrigation and electricity and the yield is less.
c. Intensive farming:
This type of farming is done using modern methods such as usage of High Yield Variety seeds (HYV), fertilizers and pesticides. Modern machinery like combine Harvesters and tractors are also used. There is very high yield.
d. Extensive farming:
Extensive farming refers to the cultivation of crops using small amounts of capital and labour in relation to the area of land.
e. Plantation agriculture:
This is the type of farming in which one single type of crop is cultivated. It requires more capital, labour, irrigation facilities and sufficient knowledge.
f. Commercial agriculture:
Commercial agriculture refers to the practice of growing crops or rearing of animals for the purpose of sale thereby making a profit.
g. Dryland farming:
In this type of farming, crops that can withstand dry conditions are cultivated. This is mostly done in areas where there is a lack of irrigation and water facilities.
h. Terrace cultivation:
This type of cultivation is done where the lands are generally slopy in nature. The hills and slopes are cut to form terraces and crops are grown. This helps in prevention of soil erosion.
Thus, in India, different types of farming methods are used depending upon the relief features such as land, temperature, rainfall, and availability of other facilities.
Describe the food crops in India.
Crops that are produced for use as food are called food crops. Example – Rice, Wheat, Maize, Barley, etc.,
1. Wheat:
a. Wheat is the major food crop of India.
b. It is a rabi crop and requires a temperature of 21-24 degree centigrade and 25-75 centimetres of rainfall.
c. India ranks third in the world’s wheat production.
d. India is self-sufficient in the production of wheat.
e. Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar are the leading producers of wheat in India.
f. Alwar, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Kota, Hanumangarh and Ganganagar are the places where wheat is grown in Rajasthan.
2. Rice:
a. Rice is a Kharif crop and is produced mainly in tropical areas.
b. The cultivation of rice requires 20 – 27-degree centigrade temperature and rainfall between 75-200 centimetres.
c. Kachari and mould soil which are found in the river valley areas are suitable to grow rice.
d. On the basis of climate, three types of rice crops such as Aman, Aus and Boro are produced in the rainy, winter and summer seasons respectively.
e. India is the second largest producer of rice in the world.
f. West Bengal is the largest producer of rice in India.
g. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar and Tamil Nadu together produce ninety percent of rice.
h. Remaining ten percent rice is grown in the states of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
i. Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Kota, and Bundi are some of the areas where rice is grown in Rajasthan.
3. Maize:
a. Maize is an important food crop as well as commercial crop.
b. Maize is the second largest Kharif crop.
c. The cultivation of maize requires nitrogen-rich soil.
d. Maize grows well in areas where temperature ranges from 12-35 centigrade and receive rainfall between 50-100 centimetres.
e. Maize is used as a raw material in starch and glucose manufacturing industries and hence it is a commercial crop. India ranks tenth in maize production.
f. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh contribute 60 per cent of maize production in the country. In Rajasthan, maize is grown in the areas of Kota, Bundi, Bara, Jhalawar, Udaipur, Chittor, Banswara, Ajmer, Ganganagar and Hanumangarh.
4. Millets:
a. Millets are one of the important food crops in our country.
b. India is the first largest producer of millets in the world.
c. Millet is a Kharif crop and is grown in regions which receive 40-60 centimetres of rainfall and has a temperature of about 15-20 degree centigrade.
d. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh produce nearly 85 per cent of the total millets produced in our country.
e. The other producers of millets are Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Punjab.
f. Ganganagar, Jhunjhunu, Alwar, Jaipur, Sikar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Barmer and Jaisalmer are the places where millets are grown in Rajasthan.
Thus, the production of food crops varies in different states according to the climate and facilities available.