Agriculture

2.1 Primitive Subsistence Farming

• Practised on small patches of land using primitive tools and family/community labour.
• Depends on natural fertility of soil, monsoon and other environmental conditions.
• Farmers clear a patch of land and grow crops for a few years.
• When soil fertility declines, the plot may be left and cultivation shifts to another area.
• This type includes slash-and-burn agriculture, known by different names in different regions.

Jhumming / Shifting Cultivation

In the North-Eastern states, shifting cultivation is locally called jhum or jhumming. Land is cleared by cutting and burning vegetation, crops are cultivated for a period, and farmers shift when fertility declines.

2.2 Intensive Subsistence Farming

• Practised in areas of high population pressure on land.
• Uses more labour per unit of land.
• Farmers try to obtain maximum output from a small holding.
• In suitable regions, irrigation and other inputs are used to increase productivity.
• Rice is an important crop in many intensive subsistence farming regions.

2.3 Commercial Farming

• Production is mainly for sale in the market.
• Uses higher doses of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation where available.
• The degree of commercialisation varies from one region to another.
• Commercial crops may include wheat, cotton, sugarcane and other market-oriented crops.

2.4 Plantation Farming

• A type of commercial farming.
• A single crop is grown on a large area.
• Capital-intensive and labour-intensive.
• Processing may be carried out on or near the plantation.
• Examples include tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane and banana in appropriate regions.

5.1 Rice

• Staple food crop of a large part of India.
• Requires high temperature, generally above 25°C, and high humidity.
• Requires annual rainfall above about 100 cm; irrigation supports cultivation in lower-rainfall areas.
• Grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal and deltaic regions, and other suitable areas.
• Major producing states include West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Assam.

5.2 Wheat

• The second most important cereal crop of India.
• Major rabi crop.
• Requires a cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening.
• About 50–75 cm of annual rainfall is suitable; irrigation is important in lower-rainfall areas.
• Main wheat-producing areas include Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.

5.3 Millets

Important millets include jowar, bajra and ragi.

• Millets are coarse grains but have high nutritional value.
• They can grow on less fertile soils and under comparatively low rainfall.
• Jowar: major producing states include Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
• Bajra: grown mainly in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
• Ragi: important in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

5.4 Maize

• Used both as food and fodder.
• Requires temperature between about 21°C and 27°C.
• Traditionally grown with other crops in some regions.
• Major producers include Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

5.5 Pulses

• Important source of protein, especially in vegetarian diets.
• Major pulses include tur/arhar, urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.
• Most pulses can grow in dry conditions and require less moisture.
• Pulses help restore soil fertility because many are leguminous and fix nitrogen.
• Major producing areas include Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.

6.1 Sugarcane

• A tropical and subtropical crop.
• Requires a hot and humid climate.
• Requires about 75–100 cm of rainfall; irrigation is necessary in many areas.
• Major producing states include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat.
• Provides raw material for sugar, gur, khandsari and molasses.

6.2 Oilseeds

Important oilseeds include groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum, soybean, castor seeds, linseed and sunflower.

• Groundnut is an important oilseed and is largely a kharif crop.
• Mustard is mainly a rabi crop.
• Oilseeds are used for edible oils and several industrial purposes.

6.3 Tea

• A plantation crop and important beverage crop.
• Requires a warm and moist climate, frequent showers and well-drained fertile soil.
• Humus-rich soil and gentle slopes are favourable.
• Major producing areas include Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

6.4 Coffee

• India produces high-quality coffee, particularly Arabica.
• Requires a warm, wet climate and well-drained soil.
• Often grown under shade trees in hill regions.
• Major producing areas include Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

6.5 Horticulture

India grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Important examples include mangoes, bananas, oranges, apples, grapes, pomegranates and many vegetables. Horticulture has developed in diverse climatic regions.

7.1 Rubber

• Requires a moist and humid climate with rainfall above about 200 cm and temperatures above 25°C.
• Major producing areas include Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and parts of the North-East.

7.2 Cotton

• Important fibre crop and raw material for the cotton textile industry.
• Requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation and about 210 frost-free days.
• Grows well in the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau.
• Major producing states include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana.

7.3 Jute

• Known as the golden fibre.
• Requires high temperature during growth, heavy rainfall and fertile well-drained alluvial soil.
• Grows well in the flood plains where soil is renewed annually.
• Major producing state is West Bengal; other producing areas include Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya.
• Used to make gunny bags, ropes, mats, yarn and other products.