Plantation Agriculture:
Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming system that involves large-scale cultivation of a single crop on a large area of land. It is commonly practiced in tropical and subtropical regions where climatic conditions are favorable for the growth of cash crops such as tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, cocoa, and palm oil. Plantation agriculture is characterized by certain distinctive features that set it apart from other forms of agriculture.

Main Features of Plantation Agriculture:
Plantation agriculture has several key features that distinguish it from other types of farming. These features include:

1. Large-scale production: Plantation agriculture involves the cultivation of crops on a large scale, typically covering hundreds or thousands of hectares of land. The size of plantations enables efficient use of resources and economies of scale, resulting in higher productivity and profitability.

2. Monoculture: Plantations focus on the cultivation of a single crop species. This allows for specialized farming techniques, such as the use of specific fertilizers and pesticides tailored to the needs of the particular crop. Monoculture also simplifies harvesting, processing, and marketing of the crop.

3. Labor-intensive: Plantations require a significant amount of labor for various tasks such as planting, weeding, pruning, and harvesting. Historically, plantation agriculture relied heavily on slave labor or indentured laborers, but nowadays, it often employs wage laborers or migrant workers.

4. Capital-intensive: Plantation agriculture requires substantial capital investment for land acquisition, infrastructure development (e.g., roads, irrigation systems, processing facilities), machinery, and inputs like seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides. This makes it a capital-intensive form of agriculture.

5. Export-oriented: The primary purpose of plantation agriculture is to produce crops for export rather than for local consumption. These crops are usually in high demand in international markets, and their cultivation provides a significant source of foreign exchange earnings for the country.

6. Technologically advanced: Plantation agriculture often utilizes advanced technologies and practices to maximize productivity and efficiency. These include the use of modern machinery, irrigation systems, improved crop varieties, and scientific methods of pest and disease control.

7. Land tenure: Plantations are typically owned by large corporations or wealthy individuals who have acquired extensive land holdings. This concentration of land ownership can sometimes lead to social and economic inequalities.

In conclusion, plantation agriculture is a specialized form of commercial farming that involves large-scale cultivation of a single crop for export. Its main features include large-scale production, monoculture, labor and capital intensity, export orientation, advanced technology usage, and concentration of land ownership.

This is a type of agriculture which involves growing and processing of a single cash crop purely meant for sale. Rubber, tea, coffee, spices, coconut and fruits are some of the important crops which come under the category of plantation agriculture.
Features :
(i) It is a single crop farming.
(ii) It is a capital intensive farming, i.e., a huge amount of capital is required.
(iii) It needs vast estates, managerial ability, technical know-how, sophisticated machinery, fertilisers, good transport facilities and a factory for processing.
(iv) This type of agriculture has developed in areas of north-eastern India, Sub-Himalayan region, West Bengal and Nilgiri.