Chapter 4 : Agriculture
Identification only
(a) Major areas of rice and wheat.
(b) Major producer states of sugarcane; tea; coffee; rubber; cotton and jute.
Answers
Answer:
India is the second largest producer of rice; after China. It requires high temperature (above 25°C), high humidity and annual rainfall above 100 cm. However, it can be grown with the help of suitable irrigation in areas of less rainfall. Rice is grown in the northern plains, northeast India, coastal areas and deltaic regions. Now-a-days, rice is also grown in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and in parts of Rajasthan. This has been possible because of development of a dense network of canals.
Wheat: Wheat is the main food crop in north and north-western parts of India. Wheat needs 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall which should be evenly distributed over the growing season. The Ganga-Sutlej plains in the northwest and black soil region of Deccan are the two important wheat-growing zones in India. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh are the important wheat producing regions.
Millets: Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India. Millets are known as coarse grains, but they have very high nutritional value.
Jowar: Maharashtra is the largest producer of jowar; followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Jowar grows in moist areas and hardly needs irrigation.
Bajra: Bajra grows well on sandy soil and shallow black soil. Rajasthan is the largest producer of bajra; followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.
Ragi: Ragi grows in dry regions on red, black, sandy loamy and shallow black soils. Karnataka is the largest producer of ragi; follower by Tamil Nadu.
Maize: Maize is used both as food and fodder. It grows well in old alluvial soil and requires a temperature range of 21°-27°C. Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are the major maize-producing states.
Pulses: India is the largest producer of pulses in the world. It is also the largest consumer of pulses. Pulses are usually produced in rotation with other crops. UP, MP, Rajasthan and Karnataka are the major pulse-producing states.
Sugarcane: Sugarcane needs hot and humid climate. It requires temperature range of 21°-27°C and rainfall of 75 cm to 100 cm. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane, while Brazil is the number one. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana are major sugar producing states.
Oilseeds: India is the largest producer of oilseeds. Groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesame, soyabean, castor, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower are the main oilseeds grown in India.
Groundnut: Groundnut accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of groundnut; followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Groundnut is a kharif crop. Linseed and mustard are rabi crops. Sesame is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south. Castor is grown both as rabi and kharif crops.
Tea: Tea plants grow well in tropical and sub-tropical climates; in deep and fertile well drained soil. The soil should be rich in humus and organic matter. Tea is a labour intensive industry. Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are major tea-producing states. The hills of Darjeeling are famous for the unique quality of tea produced there. India is the leading producer of tea in the world.
Coffee: Coffee is also grown in plantations. Initially, the Arabica variety was brought from Yemen and produced in India. The cultivation of coffee was initially introduced on the Baba Budan Hills.