TYPES OF CROP IN INDIA:

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Indian economy. Agriculture is the backbone of
our country. It includes farming of crops, animal husbandry, pisciculture, agro-
forestry etc. Over 58% of rural households primarily depend on agriculture.
Agriculture along with fisheries, forestry and other allied sectors contribute around
14% to the overall GDP of our country. The particular weather and soil conditions
allow for crops in India uniquely suited to it. Let us take a look at the major crops in
India.

Crop Seasons in India:

India is the top producer of many crops in the world. There can be many ways to
divide the types of crops (based on area, season, economic value etc.). Based on
seasons, the crops in India are divided into three types; Rabi, Kharif and Zaid.

KHARIF CROPS

 Sown in June-July when rains first begin (Monsoon crop).

 Harvested in September-October.

 Requires lot of water and hot weather to grow.

 Example: Rice, Jowar, Bajra, Maize, Cotton, Groundnut, Jute, Sugarcane, Turmeric,

Pulses (like Urad Dal) etc.

RABI CROPS

 Sown in October-November

 Harvested in April-May.
 Requires warm climate for germination of seeds and maturation and cold climate for

the growth.

 Example: Wheat, Oat, Gram, Pea, Barley, Potato, Tomato, Onion, Oil seeds (like

Rapeseed, Sunflower, Sesame, Mustard) etc.

ZAID CROPS

 Grown between March-June between Rabi and Kharif crop seasons.

 Early maturing crops.

 Example: Cucumber, Bitter Gourd, Pumpkin, Watermelon, Muskmelon, Moong Dal etc.

CATEGORIES OF CROPS IN INDIA:

The major crops can all be divided into four main categories depending on their
usage.

1. Food Crops (Wheat, Maize, Rice, Millets and Pulses etc.)

2. Cash Crops (Sugarcane, Tobacco, Cotton, Jute and Oilseeds etc.)

3. Plantation Crops (Coffee, Coconut, Tea, and Rubber etc.)

4. Horticulture crops (Fruits and Vegetables)

FOOD CROP IN INDIA:
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.

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 tube wells 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 north-west 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: Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India. 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. Maharashtra is the largest producer of jowar followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh.

What is the meaning of Cash crop?

 A crop that has good demand and has a ready market for sale,

 An agricultural crop that is grown with the object of making profit by selling them,

 A crop that is grown for sale rather than for personal use by the grower or cultivator.

Cash Crops in India

The cash crops in India can be divided into three groups, viz. (1) Fibers, (2) Drugs and
Beverages, and (3) Oilseeds.
1. Fibers
1.1 Cotton: Cotton is a major cash crop in India. Cotton grows in a warm and equable
climate. As a rule, it is a dry region crop though it can grow also in the deltaic legion of
West Bengal. The best soil for cotton cultivation is the regur or black cotton soil found in
the Deccan.

The most important cotton growing regions in India are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Haryana,
Bihar, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

1.2 Jute: Jute is an important best firer. India is one of the principle producers of jute in
the world. It is widely grown in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta. The major jute producing
states of India are West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Orissa (Odisha), Andhra Pradesh and
Meghalaya.

Jute grows in a hot and damp climate and requires a clayey and sandy soil. Jute is very
largely exported from India.

2. Drugs and Beverages

2.1 Tea: India is the second largest producer of tea in the world. Tea is generally grown
on hillsides. It requires a deep, fertile, well-drained soil and a high temperature.

West Bengal, North-east India, and South India are the chief tea-growing regions in
India.

2.2 Coffee: It is principally grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

3. Oilseeds
Linseed, groundnut and castors are the three principal oilseeds grown in
India. Linseed is grown principally in the Bihar, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and
West Bengal.

Groundnut is grown principally in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Sesamum or til is grown extensively in Maharashtra. A large quantity of oil seeds is
exported each year to foreign countries.