Important Crops Notes | Study Geography for UPSC CSE - UPSC

Rice: Grows best in warm, humid areas; it covers 23 per cent of total cropped area. Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Punjab grow rice. Productivity of rice is highest in Punjab.

• Varieties: IR-8, Jaya, Padma, Hansa, Sabarmati, IET 1444, IET 26, N-22 etc.

Wheat: Ranking after rice in terms of both area (nearly 1/10th of total cropped area) and production, it is grown mainly in the great plains during cool season.

• It is also grown in dry areas with the help of irrigation. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar are major producers.
• Varieties: Sonalika, Kalyan sona, Sherbati. K 65, HP 1102, PV18, WG 377, Arjun, Pratap etc.

Jowar: This crop requires moderate rainfall of 30-100 cm and high temperature 20° to 32°C. Excessive moisture and prolonged droughts are harmful.

• The leading jowar producing states are-Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• Varieties: GSH-1 to CSH-8, CSV-1 to CSV-7.

Bajra: Used as staple food; plant stalks are fed to cattle or used for thatching purposes. It is grown under warm and dry climatic conditions.

• Annual rainfall required is about 45 cm and temperature between 25° and 30°C. Chief producers are Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana.
• Varieties: CO1, K1, X-3, Babapuri, T-55, S-28, Pusa, Moti, HB-3, HB-4 etc.

Maize: Introduced in India in the 17th century from America, it is an important  food crop and also fodder for the cattle.

• Though produced widely in the country, highest concentration is found in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
• Varieties: Ganga-1, Ganga-101, Protima, Himalayan 123, Vijay, Visan etc.

Barley: An important crop grown in wheat producing areas in poor soil and low rainfall. Major producers are Uttar Pradesh, Bihar & Madhya Pradesh.

• Varieties: C 164, Kailash, BR-32, K-24, Jyoti, RDB-1, Clipper etc.
• Pulses: Provides protein and, being a leguminous crop, fixes atmospheric nitrogen in the soil.
• India ranks first in the production of pulses but production is inadequate to meet needs.
• Gram requires a mild cool weather and moderate rainfall 31-51 cm.
• Mostly produced in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab. Other pulses are tur, black gram, lentil (masur). Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and M.P. are producers of pulses.

Sugarcane: India has the world’s largest area under sugar-cane. This is a long maturing crop sown usually between February and April.

• Harvesting begins in October-November. The crop is best suited to tropical regions with 100-50 cm of rainfall.
• Important producers are Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Punjab, West Bengal, Bihar, Gujarat and Orissa.
• Important Varieties: CO. 527, CO. 997, BO-34, BO-47. High sucrose content varieties are the COJ-64, COC-671.

Cotton: Cotton fibre is obtained from the fruit balls of the plant. India ranks second after U.S.A. in areas under cotton.

• The concentration of crops occurs in the areas with 50-80 cm of rainfall and temperatures between 20° and 35°C.
• The important producers of cotton are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana.
• Varieties: MCU-5, Hybrid-4, long staple Varalaxmi, Siyata, J-205, K-8 etc.

Jute: Jute fibre is obtained from the stalk or stem of the plant. Jute needs a warm humid climate.

• The rich delta and alluvial soils are most suitable. The important jute producing states are West Bengal (largest producer of jute), Bihar, Assam, Tripura and Orissa.
• Jute is the highest foreign exchange-earning crop in India.
• Varieties: JRC 321, JRC 212, Shyamali, D-154, JRO 632, TD-5.

Tobacco: Introduced in India by the Portuguese in 1508, major producers of the plant now are Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

• The two popular varieties of tobacco are—Nicotina Tobacum and Nicotina Rustics.
• Varieties: Virginia Gold, Keliw 49, DR-3, Harrison special, OL-10 etc.

Tea: India is the world’s largest producer, consumer and exporter of black tea.

• The country’s 98 per cent of tea production comes from Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu where it is grown in the Nilgiris.
• Varieties: Chinese (bohea), Assamese (Assamica)

Coffee: The coffee plant needs protection from the direct sun rays. Normally cultivated 900-1800 metres above sea level, coffee cultivation is mainly confined to the three southern states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Varieties: S 288, S 947.

Coconut: India has the third largest area under coconut in the world after Philippines and Indonesia.

• Cultivation is mostly confined to the coastal areas. Kerala is the largest coconut producing state in India, followed by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Rubber: Rubber requires high temperatures of around 35°C and more than 200 cm of rainfall.

• Kerala is the largest producer of rubber in India (90%) followed by Tamil Nadu.

Spices: There are a variety of spices in India.

• Chillies: It requires 60-125 cm of rainfall and a temperature range of 10-30°C. Produced mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Rajasthan.
• Black pepper is the largest foreign exchange earner among Indian spices. Indian black pepper accounts for 20 per cent of world production and 80 per cent of it is exported. 
• Almost the entire black pepper production in the country is in Kerala, the ‘Spice State of India’.