Major crops and cropping patterns in various parts of the country

India is an agricultural country, and the major crops grown in various parts of the country vary based on factors such as climate, soil type, water availability, and the demand for the crops.

Cropping Systems

A cropping system refers to the methods and techniques used to cultivate crops, including the type and sequence of crops grown. It encompasses the entire process of crop production, including all the crop sequences that are practiced over a specific period of time using available technologies. Traditionally, cropping systems have been structured to achieve maximum crop yields.

Cropping pattern

Cropping pattern, on the other hand, is a dynamic aspect that changes over time and space. It refers to the proportion of land that is used to grow various crops at a specific point in time. Essentially, it is a yearly arrangement of sowing, harvesting, and fallow periods for crops grown on a specific area. In India, cropping patterns are influenced by factors such as rainfall, climate, temperature, soil type, and available technologies.

Agricultural Situation in India:

• India is a leading producer of rice and wheat globally, with the country ranking second in terms of production.
  • Rice is grown on approximately 45 million hectares during the kharif and rabi seasons, and its production has consistently increased over the years, reaching 117.9 million tonnes in 2019-20, up from 104.4 million tonnes in 2015-16.
  • Wheat, a crop grown during the rabi season, is planted on approximately 30 million hectares, and its harvest reached 107.2 million tonnes in 2019-20, up from 92.3 million tonnes five years prior.
  • The annual increase in the minimum support price, along with the Food Corporation of India’s (FCI) open-ended procurement system, has contributed to the growth in harvest size and the buildup of public stocks of these two staple crops.
• However, grain mono-cropping, or the continuous cultivation of rice and wheat in the same fields for multiple seasons, in states such as Punjab and Haryana over the past 20-30 years is causing significant and often unseen costs.
• The lack of scientific crop rotation has resulted in a deterioration of soil health, and the unrestricted use of groundwater for irrigation, facilitated by a free power supply, has led to alarmingly low water table levels.

Crop Production in India:

India’s agricultural year runs from July to June, and the country’s cropping season is divided into two main seasons – the Kharif and the Rabi – based on the monsoon.

• The Kharif cropping season is from July to October during the southwest monsoon, while the Rabi season is from October to March during the winter. Summer crops are grown between March and June.
• The Rabi season is characterized by winter crops sown from October to December and harvested from April to June.
  • Some of the important Rabi crops grown in India include wheat, barley, peas, gram, and mustard.
  • These crops are grown in various parts of the country, with the northern and northwestern states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh being particularly important for the production of wheat and other Rabi crops.
  • Winter precipitation from western temperate cyclones is crucial for the success of these crops, although the success of the green revolution in the aforementioned states has also been a significant factor.

• The Kharif season begins with the onset of the monsoon, with crops harvested in September-October.
• Important Kharif crops include paddy (rice), maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, and soybean.
• Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, the coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Maharashtra, as well as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• Recently, paddy has become an important crop in Punjab and Haryana as well.
• In states like Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha, three crops of paddy – Aus, Aman, and Boro – are grown in a year.

Crops grown in India

Crops grown in India are divided into four categories based on their use and purpose.

1. Food grains – These crops are grown for human consumption and include rice, wheat, maize, millets, pulses and oilseeds.
2. Commercial crops – These crops are grown for commercial purposes and include cotton, jute, sugarcane, tobacco and oilseeds.
3. Plantation crops – These crops are grown on large estates and include tea, coffee, coconut, and rubber.
4. Horticulture – This category includes the cultivation of fruits and vegetables for human consumption.

In addition to the crops mentioned above, there are several other crops grown across different regions of India. Some of these include:

1. Tea: Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris and the Terai region.
2. Coffee: Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.
3. Jute: West Bengal, Assam, Bihar and Orissa.
4. Coconut: Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa.
5. Rubber: Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
6. Spices: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal.
7. Fruits: Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
8. Vegetables: Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
9. Bamboo: Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland.
10. Floriculture: Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

This is a general overview and the specific crops grown in different regions of India may vary based on local climate, soil type, and other factors.

Cropping Pattern and its Importance:

Cropping pattern is the practice of growing different types of crops in the same field over time in a systematic sequence. It is an essential aspect of sustainable agriculture as it has numerous benefits for the soil, crops, and farmers. Here are some of the most significant advantages of a good cropping pattern:

• Increases Soil Fertility: The practice of crop rotation helps in maintaining soil fertility as it controls the deficient or excess nutrients in the soil. For example, if a field is used for growing rice, the soil becomes depleted of nitrogen, but if legumes like beans or lentils are grown in the next season, they will restore the nitrogen content in the soil.
• Increases Crop Yield: A well-planned cropping pattern can result in increased crop yield. Studies have shown that crop rotation results in a 10 to 25% increase in crop yield compared to monoculture. For example, rotating between rice and wheat in the same field can lead to higher yields than if only rice is grown year after year.
• Improves Soil Structure: Cropping patterns can help in improving the physical condition of the soil. For example, rotating between crops like corn and soybeans can help in reducing soil compaction and improve soil texture. This, in turn, provides ideal conditions for seed germination and root proliferation.
• Reduces Soil Erosion: The roots of crops play an important role in holding the top layer of soil together, thus reducing soil erosion. For instance, growing trees along with crops on a farm can help prevent soil erosion by raindrops.
• Diversification and Reduced Cost of Production: Diversifying crops through cropping patterns helps in reducing the cost of production as different crops require different amounts of labor and machinery. For instance, growing crops like cotton and wheat in a field can help distribute the workload and resources throughout the year, leading to reduced costs.

Cropping Pattern Types

• Monocropping: This involves growing only one type of crop in a field at a time. It can have negative effects on soil fertility and structure and may require the use of chemical fertilizers to maintain production levels. Additionally, monocropping makes crops more susceptible to pests and diseases.
• Mixed Cropping: This involves growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same field. For example, growing wheat and gram at the same time is mixed cropping. This method helps to reduce the risk of crop failure due to weather conditions and can provide insurance against the loss of one crop. The crops should have different maturation times and water requirements.
• Intercropping: This involves growing two or more crops in the same field at the same time in a specific row pattern. For example, growing one row of the main crop followed by three rows of intercrops. This can increase productivity per unit area.
• Crop Rotation: This involves growing different crops in a pre-planned sequence on the same land. Crops can be classified based on the length of time they are rotated, such as one-year rotation, two-year rotation, and three-year rotation. Legumes are often included in crop rotation programs to improve soil fertility. High-input crops are typically grown after legumes, and low-input crops are grown after high-input crops.

Factors Influencing Cropping Pattern

Factor	Description
Physical Factors
Soil	The type of crop grown is determined by the components of soil and the region’s climatic influence
Climate	The dependence on crops like jowar and bajra in dry regions with scarce rainfall, and rice in water-logged areas
Irrigation	Availability of irrigation facilities can determine the crop grown and possibility of double or triple cropping
Economic Factors
Price and Income Maximization	Variation in inter-crop prices leads to shifts in acreage between crops
Farm Size	Small farmers prioritize food grain production, while large farmers have a greater focus on cash crops
Insurance against Risk	Diversification to minimize the risk of crop failures
Availability of Inputs	Availability of seeds, fertilizers, water storage, marketing, transport, etc. affects the cropping pattern
Tenure	Crop sharing system and landlord’s dominant voice in crop choice affects income-maximizing crop adjustments
Infrastructure Facilities
Irrigation	Availability of irrigation facilities affects the crop grown and possibility of double or triple cropping
Transport	Availability of transport affects the ease of moving crops to market
Storage	Availability of storage affects the preservation of crops and their marketability
Trade and Marketing	Availability of trade and marketing facilities affects the price and sale of crops
Post-Harvest Handling	Availability of post-harvest handling facilities affects the quality and preservation of crops
Processing	Availability of processing facilities affects the value-added products from crops
Government Policies
Legislative and Administrative Policies	Food Crops Acts, Land Use Acts, intensive schemes for paddy, cotton, oilseeds, subsidies affect the cropping pattern
Minimum Support Price (MSP)	Farmers may shift towards crops with higher MSP, such as wheat and rice
Green Revolution	Shifted cropping pattern in Northern India towards wheat and rice from coarse cereals and pulses
Social Factors
Food Habits	Rice as staple food in East and South India, wheat in North India

An Overview of Emerging Trends

Subsistence Crops	Majority of farmers are engaged in growing subsistence crops like food grains, cereals, and pulses.
Increased Agri-productivity	Agri-productivity has increased but is still less than the global average, being just 30-40% of the global average.
Decrease in Agricultural Labor	Number of people engaged in agriculture has reduced from 70% at independence to 50% presently.
Shift to Cash Crops	Cropping pattern has changed with a trend towards growing more cash crops like fruit and vegetables instead of food grains.
Shift to Horticulture	Farmers are growing horticultural crops along with or as an alternative to food grains due to availability of good inputs (seeds and know-how).
Urbanization	Change in land use pattern and cropping pattern is affected by rapid urbanization.
Decrease in Wheat and Rice Production	Production of wheat and rice is not increasing as fast as population growth.
Shift to Water Efficient Crops	Moving away from water intensive crops like paddy and sugarcane to water efficient crops like pulses and oil seeds.

Issues with the current cropping pattern

• Old Methods: India’s agricultural practices have gained self-sufficiency, but they remain resource-intensive, cereal-centric, and regionally biased. This has raised sustainability issues.
• Unsustainable Practices: Over 50% of India’s population depends on rural employment, and slow agricultural growth is a concern for policymakers, as the currently adopted agricultural practices are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable.
• Dominance of Cereals: Within the broad group of food crops, cereals such as wheat and rice dominate, with about 82% of the area under food crops used for growing cereals. This is due to better prices, less production risk, and the availability of better seeds.
• Decline in Coarse Cereals: Jawar, Bajra, Maize, Millets, Barley, etc., are referred to as coarse or inferior cereals. The area under these crops has declined significantly from 48% in 1950-51 to about 29% in 2001 due to the spread of irrigation facilities, improved inputs, and changes in consumption patterns.
• Declining Importance of Kharif Crops: There are three main cropping seasons in India: Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid. The Kharif season corresponds to the rainy season, while the Rabi season corresponds to the winter. The period between the harvest of the Rabi crops and the sowing of the Kharif crops is called the Zaid season.
• Social Problems: Agriculture is facing significant social changes, including the increased feminization of agriculture due to an increase in women-headed households, increased rural-urban migration by men, and growth in cash crops production which require a lot of labor.

Effects of Current Trends in Cropping Pattern

• Increased use of Fertilizers and Pesticides:
  • There is a growing trend in the use of inorganic fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, which has led to some major disadvantages.
  • One major issue is that these chemicals are toxic, leading to health problems when consumed.
  • Additionally, pests have become resistant to pesticides, making them less effective.
• Use of Hybrid and High-Yielding Varieties:
  • With the advent of the green revolution, farmers have started using hybrid seeds instead of traditional, indigenous seeds.
  • These hybrid seeds have lower nutritional value and this has led to the growing popularity of organic farming.
  • However, this method of farming is yet to become popular on a large scale, so it does not have a significant impact on total production.
  • There is a need for the development of a new system that combines traditional methods with modern scientific techniques to reap the benefits and minimize the drawbacks.
• Increased Water Demand:
  • The new production techniques require more water, which is putting pressure on our water resources.
  • Currently, 10% of our water is being used in the agricultural sector, and the need for water is increasing with the rise in intensive cropping.
  • This has led to the depletion of groundwater resources, necessitating the construction of more irrigation projects.
  • These projects have adverse effects on the environment and the use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes.
• Depletion of Forest Areas:
  • Forest areas play a crucial role in maintaining the ecological balance, with a minimum of 33% forest cover required.
  • With the increase in cropping intensity, the forest cover is being reduced, leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem.
  • Efforts have been made to maintain a reasonable forest cover through methods like afforestation and maintenance of existing reserves, but in many areas, the ecological balance has still been disturbed due to increased agricultural activities. This issue needs to be addressed.

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