IAS Prelims Preparation 2018
Day # 30 (April 22, 2017)
Topics of the day: Geography X NCERT chapter 4 key points
CHAPTER 4 AGRICULTURE
At
present, in different parts of India, the following farming systems are practised.
Primitive
Subsistence Farming :
This type of farming is still practised in few pockets of
India.
Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches
of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/community
labour.
This type of farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of
the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.
It is a slash and burn‘ agriculture.
Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other
food crops to sustain their family. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers
shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation. This type of shifting
allows Nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through natural processes;
land productivity in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer does not use
fertilisers or other modern inputs.
It is known by different names in different parts of the
country. It is jhumming in north-eastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram
and
Nagaland; Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district of
Chhattishgarh,
and in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
The slash and burn‘ agriculture is known as Milpa‘ in Mexico
and Central America, Conuco‘ in Venzuela, Roca‘ in Brazil, Masole‘ in Central
Africa, Ladang‘ in Indonesia, Ray‘ in Vietnam.
In India, this primitive form of cultivation is called Bewar‘
or
Dahiya‘
in Madhya Pradesh, Podu‘ or Penda‘ in Andhra Pradesh,
Pama
Dabi‘ or Koman‘ or Bringa‘ in Odisha, ‗Kumari‘ in Western
Ghats,
Valre‘ or Waltre‘ in South-eastern Rajasthan, Khil‘ in the
Himalayan
belt, Kuruwa‘ in Jharkhand, and Jhumming‘ in the
North-eastern
region.
Intensive
Subsistence Farming :
This type of farming is practised in areas of high population pressure
on land.
It is labour intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical
inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production.
Commercial
Farming:
The main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of
higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical
fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher
productivity.
The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one
region
to another.
For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab,
but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop.
Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.
In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large
area.
Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive
inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.
All the produce is used as raw material in respective
industries.
In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc.. are
important plantation crops.
Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in Karnataka are some of
the important plantation crops grown in these states.
India
has three cropping seasons — rabi, kharif and zaid
Rabi:
Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and
harvested
in summer from April to June.
Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram
and mustard.
Though, these crops are grown in large parts of India, states
from the north and northwestern parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are important for the
production of wheat and other rabi crops.
Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the
western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops.
However, the success of the green revolution in Punjab, Haryana,
western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan has also been an important factor
in the growth of the above mentioned rabi crops.
Kharif:
Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different
parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October.
Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize,
jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean.
Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West
Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu,
Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar.
Recently, paddy has also become an important crop of Punjab and
Haryana.
In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of
paddy are grown in a year. These are Aus, Aman and Boro.
Zaid:
In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short
season during the summer months known as the Zaid season.
Some of the crops produced during ‗zaid‘ are watermelon,
muskmelon,
cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops.
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 tubewells
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 evenlydistributed
over the growing season.
There are two important wheat-growing zones in the country –
the Ganga-Satluj plains in the northwest 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.
Major Jowar producing States were Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh in 2011-12.
Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil.
Major Bajra producing States were: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Haryana in 2011-12.
Ragi is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black,
sandy, loamy and shallow black soils.
Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.
Maize:
It is a crop which is used both as food and fodder.
It is a kharif crop which requires temperature between 21°C to
27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil.
In some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season also.
Use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, fertilisers and
irrigation have contributed to the increasing production of maize.
Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.
Pulses:
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 that are grown in India are tur (arhar), urad,
moong, masur, peas and gram.
Pulses need less moisture and survive even
in dry conditions.
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.
Major pulse producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
Sugarcane:
It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop.
It grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of
21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm. and 100cm.
Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall.
It can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labour
from sowing to harvesting.
India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after
Brazil.
It is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and
molasses.
The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh,
Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.
Oil
Seeds:
In 2008 India was the second largest producer of groundnut in
the world after china.
In rape seed production India was third largest producer in the
world after Canada and China in 2008.
Different oil seeds are grown covering approximately 12 per
cent of the total cropped area of the country.
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 raw material in the
production of
soap, cosmetics and ointments.
Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the
major oilseeds produced in the country.
Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 2011-12.
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.
Tea:
Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture.
It is also an important beverage crop introduced in India
initially by the British.
Today, most of the tea plantations are owned by Indians.
The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates
endowed
with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter. Tea
bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year. Frequent
showers evenly distributed over the year ensure continuous growth of tender
leaves.
Tea is a labour intensive industry.
It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.
Tea is processed within the tea garden to restore its
freshness.
Major teaproducing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and
Jalpaiguri
districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya,
Andhra
Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the
country.
In 2008 India was the third largest producer of tea after China
and Turkey.
Coffee:
In 2008 India produced 3.2 per cent of the world coffee
production.
Indian
coffee is known in the world for its good quality.
The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in
the country.
This variety is in great demand all over the world.
Intially its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills
and even today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala
and Tamil Nadu.
Horticulture
Crops:
In 2008 India was the second largest producer of fruits and
vegetables
in the world after China.
India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.
Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar
Pradesh and West Bengal, oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya), bananas
of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, lichi and guava of Uttar
Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of Meghalaya, grapes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana
and Maharashtra, apples, pears, apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and
Himachal Pradesh are in great demand the world over.
India produces about 13 per cent of the world‘s vegetables.
It is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion,
cabbage,
tomato,
brinjal and potato.
Rubber:
It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is
also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas.
It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than
200 cm. and temperature above 25°C.
Rubber is an important industrial raw
material.
It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman
and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.
In 2010-11 India ranked fourth among the world‘s natural rubber
producers
Fibre
Crops:
Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre
crops grown in India.
The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil,
the latter is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves specially
mulberry.
Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known
as sericulture.
Cotton:
India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.
Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile
industry.
In 2008 India was second largest producer of cotton after
China.
Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of
the Deccan plateau.
It requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210
frost-free days and bright sun-shine for its growth.
It is a kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
Major cotton-producing states are– Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh.
Jute:
It is known as the golden fibre.
Jute grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood
plains where soils are renewed every year.
High temperature is required during the time of growth.
West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya are the major
jute producing states.
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 the nylon.
-
The Government of India embarked upon introducing agricultural reforms to
improve Indian agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s.
-
The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White
Revolution (Operation Flood) were some of the strategies initiated to improve
the lot of Indian agriculture.
-
Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some
other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the
farmers.
-
Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agricultural
universities, veterinary services and animal breeding centres, horticulture
development, research and development in the field of meteorology and weather
forecast, etc. were given priority for improving Indian agriculture.
-
In order to ensure availability of food to all sections of society our government
carefully designed a national food security system. It consists of two
components (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system (PDS).
-
PDS is a programme which provides food grains and other essential commodities
at subsidised prices in rural and urban areas.
-
India‘s food security policy has a primary objective to ensure availability of
foodgrains to the common people at an affordable price.
- It has
enabled the poor to have access to food.
-
The focus of the policy is on growth in agriculture production and on fixing
the support price for procurement of wheat and rice, to maintain their stocks.
-
Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and
stocking
foodgrains, whereas distribution is ensured by public
distribution
system (PDS).
-
The FCI procures foodgrains from the farmers at the government announced
minimum support price (MSP).
-
The government used to provide subsidies on agriculture inputs such as fertilizers,
power and water.