MAJOR HS KALSI’S BAALNOI ACADEMY

DELHI/JAIPUR

AGRICULTURE IN INDIA

TYPES OF FARMING
1. Subsistence Farming
Aim - To sustain their livelihoods rather than seeking substantial profits from their harvests.
Features - small land holdings and employing rudimentary farming tools.
Farming methods - do not incorporate the use of fertilizers and high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds.
Labour - heavy reliance on manual labour, but they often have essential amenities such as irrigation
and electricity.
Yields - traditional farming approach results in relatively modest yields. The bulk of the produce
is consumed by the family, leaving only a minimal surplus available for sale in the market.

2. Intensive and Extensive Farming

Aim - achieving maximum production, utilizing every available human and capital resource to its
fullest potential.
Benefit - enables farmers to cultivate multiple crops annually and demands substantial capital
investment and labour input for each piece of land.
Features- practised in densely populated regions of India.

Extensive farming - often referred to as mechanical farming, represents a more advanced approach
characterized by extensive machinery usage.
Aim- cultivating a single crop per year, requiring relatively less labour and capital per hectare in
comparison to intensive farming.

3. Commercial Farming
Aim- exporting these products to other nations, bolstering the country's foreign reserves.
Regions - Punjab, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, and Haryana.
Main crops- wheat, cotton, sugarcane, and corn.
Features - use of pesticides, fertilizers, high-yield variety (HYV) seeds, and more, to achieve
significant yields.

4. Plantation Farming
Aim - to export its products, emphasizing the marketing prowess of the cultivated crop.
Features - high capital investment and demands effective management skills, technical expertise,
fertilizers, modern machinery, and improved irrigation and transportation infrastructure, among
other factors.
Main feature - cultivation of single crops such as tea, rubber, coconut, spices, coffee, and fruit
crops. These crops yield continuous harvests over many years.
Regions - Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, and Maharashtra.

5. Dryland Farming
Meaning - cultivating crops without relying on irrigation systems
Regions - regions with insufficient or low rainfall, typically ranging from 750 mm to 500 mm or
even less. North-western India, western, and central India.
Crops - moisture conservation is achieved by cultivating specific drought-resistant crops like gram,
bajra, jowar, and peas, which have lower water requirements.

6. Wetland Farming
Regions - suited for the monsoon season, relying on rainfall and also adaptable to well-irrigated
regions. Northern, western ghats, and northeastern regions of India.
Crops - rice, sugarcane, and jute. These forms of agriculture are prevalent in the northern, western
ghats, and northeastern regions of India.

7. Mixed Farming
Method - simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops while also raising animals.
Benefit - method enables the concurrent growth of multiple crops, even when they have varying
maturation periods. Successful mixed farming necessitates adequate rainfall or reliable irrigation
facilities.

8. Organic Farming
Features - use of growth regulators, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and similar chemicals. Unlike
other types of farming, it relies on crop residues, off-farm organic waste, animal manures, and crop
rotation to preserve soil quality and sustain productivity. Consequently, this method encompasses
both the natural rearing of animals and the cultivation of plants in an organic manner.

9. Co-operative Farming
Features - collective sharing of farming resources such as pesticides, fertilizers, and farming
equipment such as tractors, without pooling the land itself.
Aim - to unify and organize the land resources of farmers, enabling them to utilize all available
lands to their maximum fertility potential for crop cultivation.

10. Terrace Agriculture

Terrace agriculture involves the creation of terraces by cutting into the slopes of hills and
mountains, creating permanent agricultural land.
In hilly and mountainous regions where flat land is scarce, terraces are constructed to establish
small, leveled plots for farming.
Benefits- prevention of soil erosion, which is evident in the form of terraces on mountain slopes.

11. Crop Rotation

Method - cultivating specific crops in a predetermined rotation pattern.
Aim - sustain soil fertility. The rotation cycle of crops can vary in duration, ranging from one year
to more than a year.

12. Dairy Farming

The practice primarily involves the rearing of livestock for milk production. India stands out with
its threefold greater number of dairy animals compared to the United States, yielding an impressive
75 million tons of milk each year. This form of agriculture falls within the category of subsistence
farming, with approximately 40% of Indian farmers engaging in milk production.
It serves as a livestock venture that provides a relatively accessible avenue for farmers to improve
their livelihoods. Steady sales of milk can facilitate a shift from subsistence farming to income
generation. In India, approximately 40 million households rely partially on milk production for
their livelihoods.

13. Ley Farming

Aim - rejuvenating soil fertility.
Regions -It involves a planned rotation of food grains and grasses within a specific area. This
farming technique is also encouraged as a means of practicing organic farming in drylands. It
serves to rehabilitate and compensate for crop failures caused by frequent droughts. It
accomplishes this by enhancing and sustaining soil fertility through the utilization of natural soil
biological processes.
MAJOR CROPS IN INDIA
Major crops can be classified into-
Food crops- Rice, Wheat, Millets, Maize and Pulses.
Cash crops- Sugarcane, Oilseeds, Horticulture crops, Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Cotton and Jute

Cropping Seasons
[Link]
 Sown: October-December
 Harvested: April-June
 Crops- Wheat, barley, peas, gram, mustard [Link], Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu
and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh
[Link]
 Sown: June-July
 Harvested: September-October
 Crops- Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean [Link],
West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Maharashtra
[Link]
 Sown and harvested: March-July
 (between Rabi and Kharif)
 Yield-Seasonal fruits, vegetables, fodder crops [Link] of the northern and northwestern
states

Major Food Crops

Rice
 Temperature: Between 22-32°C with high humidity.
 Rainfall: Around 150-300 cm.
 Soil Type: Deep clayey and loamy soil.
 Top Rice Producing States: West Bengal > Punjab > Uttar Pradesh > Andhra Pradesh > Bihar.
It is the staple food crop of majority of Indian people.
India is the second largest producer of rice in the world after China.
In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These
are Aus, Aman and Boro.
Govt Initiatives-
 National Food Security Mission
 Hybrid Rice Seed Production
 Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

Wheat
 Temperature: Between 10-15°C (Sowing time) and 21-26°C (Ripening & Harvesting) with
bright sunlight.
 Rainfall: Around 75-100 cm.
 Soil Type: Well-drained fertile loamy and clayey loamy (Ganga-Satluj plains and black soil
region of the Deccan)
 Top Wheat Producing States: Uttar Pradesh > Punjab > Madhya Pradesh > Haryana >
Rajasthan.
India is the second largest producer after China.
This is the second most important cereal crop and the main food crop, in north and north-
western India.
Success of Green Revolution contributed to the growth of Rabi crops especially wheat.
Govt Initiatives-
 Macro Management Mode of Agriculture
 National Food Security Mission
 Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

Millets (Nutri-Cereals)
Temperature: Between 27-32°C
Rainfall: Around 50-100 cm.
Soil Type: Can be grown in inferior alluvial or loamy soil because they are less sensitive to soil
deficiencies.
Jowar- Rain-fed crop grown in the moist areas with less or no irrigation.
Bajra- Sandy soils and shallow black soil.
Ragi- Red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. (dry regions)
Top Millets Producing States: Rajasthan > Karnataka > Maharashtra > Madhya Pradesh > Uttar
Pradesh
Jowar: Maharashtra > Karnataka > Madhya Pradesh > Tamil Nadu > Andhra Pradesh.
Bajra: Rajasthan > Uttar Pradesh > Gujarat > Madhya Pradesh > Haryana.
These are also known as coarse grains, which have high nutritional value. 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.
National Agricultural Insurance Scheme, Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive
Millets Promotion are examples of government’s efforts to support millet production.

Maize
Temperature: Between 21-27°C
Rainfall: High rainfall.
Soil Type: Old alluvial soil.
Top Maize Producing States: Karnataka > Maharashtra > Madhya Pradesh > Tamil Nadu >
Telangana
India is the seventh largest producer worldwide.
It is used both as food and fodder.
Use of modern inputs such as High-Yielding Variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have
contributed to the increasing production of maize.
Technology Mission on Maize is one of the government’s initiatives for mazie.

Pulses
 Temperature: Between 20-27°C
 Rainfall: Around 25-60 cm.
 Soil Type: Sandy-loamy soil.
 Top Pulses Producing States: Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Maharashtra > Uttar Pradesh >
Karnataka.
India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.
These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
Major pulses grown in India are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.
Being leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil fertility by fixing
nitrogen from the air. Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with other crops.
Govt Initiatives-
 National Food Security Mission for Pulses
 Pulses Development Scheme
 Technological Mission on Pulses

Major Cash Crops

Sugarcane
 Temperature: Between 21-27°C with hot and humid climate.
 Rainfall: Around 75-100 cm.
 Soil Type: Deep rich loamy soil.
 Top Sugarcane Producing States: Uttar Pradesh > Maharashtra > Karnataka > Tamil Nadu >
Bihar.
India is the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.
Soil type- ranging from sandy loam to clay loam given these soils should be well drained.
It needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.
It is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggery), khandsari and molasses.
Govt Initiatives-
 Scheme for Extending Financial Assistance to Sugar Undertakings (SEFASU)
 National Policy on Biofuels

Oil Seeds
 Temperature: Between 15-30°C
 Rainfall: Around 30-75 cm.
 Soil Type: Loam to clayey loam and well drained sandy loams.
 Top Oilseeds Producing States: Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Gujarat > Maharashtra > Uttar
Pradesh.
Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor
seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.
Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums. However, some of these are also used as
a raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.
Govt Initiatives-
 Yellow Revolution
 Integrated Scheme on Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm and Maize (ISOPOM)
Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the
country.
Linseed and mustard are rabi crops.
Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south India.
Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop.

Horticulture Crops
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture concerned with cultivation, production and sale of fruits,
vegetables, flowers, herbs, ornamental or exotic plants.

Fruits and States

 Mangoes - Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
 Oranges - Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)
 Bananas- Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu
 Litchi and Guava- Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
 Pineapples- Meghalaya
 Grapes- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra
 Apples, Pears, Apricots and Walnuts- Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh
India is the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables and it produces both tropical and
temperate fruits.
India produces about 13% of the world’s vegetables. It is an important producer of peas,
cauliflower, onions, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.

Govt Initiatives -
 Golden Revolution
 Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
 Coordinated Horticulture Assessment and Management using geo-informatics (Project
CHAMAN)

Plantation Crops
Tea
 Temperature: Between 20-30°C
 Rainfall: Around 150-300 cm.
 Soil Type: Deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.
 Top Tea Producing States: Assam > West Bengal > Tamil Nadu.

 India is the second largest producer of tea.

 Introduced in the eastern hill slopes of India by the British.
 Slopes of eastern hills have humid climate and evenly distributed rainfall without water
logging which are optimal conditions for terrace farming of tea.
 Labour intensive industry. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.
 Tea is processed within the tea garden to retain its freshness.

Govt Initiatives-
Tea Development and Promotion Scheme
Wage Compensation Scheme
Tea Boutiques

Coffee
 Temperature: Between 15-28°C
 Rainfall: Around 150-250 cm.
 Soil Type: Well drained, deep friable loamy soil.
 Top Coffee Producing States: Karnataka > Kerala > Tamil Nadu.
 India is the seventh largest producer.
 Coffee was initially brought from Yemen and introduced on the Baba Budan Hills.
 Hills with well-defined shade canopy, comprising evergreen leguminous trees provide the
optimal condition for coffee cultivation that is why it is mainly concentrated in the hilly
regions.
 Indian variety of coffee ‘Arabica’ is famous worldwide.
 Various Integrated Coffee Development Projects and schemes have been launched by the
government to support coffee production.

Rubber
 Temperature: Above 25°C with moist and humid climate.
 Rainfall: More than 200 cm.
 Soil Type: Rich well drained alluvial soil.
 Top Rubber Producing States: Kerala > Tamil Nadu > Karnataka.
It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and sub-
tropical areas.
Rubber is an important industrial raw material.
Govt Initiatives-
 Rubber Plantation Development Scheme
 Rubber Group Planting Scheme

Fibre Crops
Cotton
 Temperature: Between 21-30°C
 Rainfall: Around 50-100cm.
 Soil Type: Well drained black cotton soil of Deccan Plateau.
 Top Cotton Producing States: Gujarat > Maharashtra > Telangana > Andhra Pradesh >
Rajasthan.
India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant. Cotton is one of the main raw materials
for cotton textile industry.
Cotton needs 210 frost-free days and bright sun-shine for its growth.
It is a kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
Govt Initiatives-
 Silver Fibre Revolution
 Technology Mission on Cotton
Cotton has been genetically modified into BT Cotton to fight environmental stress and pest
attacks.

Jute
 Temperature: Between 25-35°C
 Rainfall: Around 150-250 cm
 Soil Type: Well drained alluvial soil
 Top Jute Producing States: West Bengal > Bihar > Assam > Andhra Pradesh > Odisha.
It is mainly concentrated in eastern India because of the rich alluvial soil of Ganga-
Brahmaputra delta.
 India is the largest producer of jute.
 It is known as the golden fibre.
 It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.
 Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly
nylon.

Govt Initiatives-
 Golden Fibre Revolution
 Technology Mission on Jute and