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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: agriculture of India on one page

ಕನ್ನಡದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿವರಣೆ

Agriculture of India · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

All four parts condensed for quick revision: land use, farming types, seasons and zones; food crops; commercial and plantation crops, horticulture and livestock; and irrigation, the Green Revolution and new directions.

Each idea is explained first in Kannada (ಕನ್ನಡ), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Kannada and revise it in English.

ಮೊದಲ ಭಾಗ ಅಡಿಪಾಯ: ಹವಾಮಾನ, ಮಣ್ಣು ಏನು ಬೆಳೆಯಬಹುದು ಎಂಬುದಕ್ಕೆ ಮಿತಿ ಹಾಕುತ್ತವೆ; ನೀರಾವರಿ, ಬೆಲೆ, ಸರ್ಕಾರಿ ನೀತಿ ಆ ಮಿತಿಯೊಳಗೆ ಆಯ್ಕೆ ಮಾಡುತ್ತವೆ. ಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಒಂಬತ್ತು ಬಗೆಯ ಬಳಕೆ. ಒಂದೇ ಹೊಲದಲ್ಲಿ ವರ್ಷಕ್ಕೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ಬಾರಿ ಬೆಳೆ ಎಂಬುದನ್ನು ತೋರಿಸುವುದು ಬೆಳೆ ತೀವ್ರತೆ. ಸ್ಥಳಾಂತರ ಬೇಸಾಯದಿಂದ ನೆಡುತೋಪಿನವರೆಗೆ ಬಗೆಗಳು. ಮೂರು ಋತು: ಮಳೆಗಾಲದ ಮುಂಗಾರು, ಚಳಿಗಾಲದ ಹಿಂಗಾರು, ಸಣ್ಣ ಬೇಸಿಗೆಯ ಜಾಯಿದ್. ಹಿಡುವಳಿಗಳು ಚಿಕ್ಕವು, ಸರಾಸರಿ ಸುಮಾರು 1.08 ಹೆಕ್ಟೇರ್. (→ English: cropping intensity; kharif; rabi · हिन्दी: शस्य गहनता; खरीफ; रबी)

In exam EnglishPart 1 set the stage. Physical factors such as heat, rain, soil and slope set the limits of farming, and human factors such as irrigation, prices and policy choose within them. Land is recorded under nine uses, from forests to net sown area, and cropping intensity (gross cropped area divided by net sown area, times 100) shows how often the same land is cropped in a year. Farming ranges from shifting cultivation (jhum, podu, bewar) to intensive subsistence, commercial, plantation and mixed farming. The year has three seasons: kharif with the monsoon, rabi in winter and zaid in the short summer. Holdings are tiny, averaging about 1.08 ha in the Agriculture Census 2015–16, and planners divide the country into 15 agro-climatic regions, 127 ICAR zones and 20 agro-ecological regions.

ಎರಡನೇ ಭಾಗ ಆಹಾರ ಬೆಳೆಗಳು. ಲೆಕ್ಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಹಾರಧಾನ್ಯಗಳು ಎಂದರೆ ಧಾನ್ಯ + ಬೇಳೆಕಾಳು; ಎಣ್ಣೆಕಾಳು ಬೇರೆ. ಭತ್ತಕ್ಕೆ ಶಾಖ, ನೀರು, ಜೇಡಿ ಮೆಕ್ಕಲು; ಮುಖಜ ಭೂಮಿ, ಪೂರ್ವ ಬಯಲು, ಕೊಳವೆಬಾವಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಪಂಜಾಬ್ ಕೂಡ. ಗೋಧಿ ಉತ್ತರದ ಹಿಂಗಾರು ಬೆಳೆ, ಉತ್ತರ ಪ್ರದೇಶ ಮುಂದೆ; ಕಾಳು ತುಂಬುವಾಗ ಶಾಖ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಅಪಾಯ. ಜೋಳ, ಸಜ್ಜೆ, ರಾಗಿ ಗಟ್ಟಿ ಸಿರಿಧಾನ್ಯಗಳು; ಮೆಕ್ಕೆಜೋಳ ಒರಟು ಧಾನ್ಯ, ಆದರೆ ಸಿರಿಧಾನ್ಯವಲ್ಲ. ಬೇಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವೇ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಉತ್ಪಾದಕರು, ಆದರೂ ಆಮದು. (→ English: foodgrains · हिन्दी: खाद्यान्न)

In exam EnglishPart 2 covered the food crops. In Indian statistics foodgrains are cereals plus pulses; oilseeds are counted apart. Rice needs heat, water and clayey alluvium and is grown in the deltas, the eastern plains and, with canals and tube wells, in Punjab and Haryana. Wheat is the rabi crop of the north and north-west, led by Uttar Pradesh, and its main risk is heat at grain filling. Jowar, bajra and ragi are hardy millets led by Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Karnataka; maize is a coarse cereal but not a millet. India is the largest producer of pulses yet still imports them, and it buys more than half of its edible oil abroad.

ಮೂರನೇ ಭಾಗ ಮಾರಾಟದ ಬೆಳೆಗಳು, ಜಾನುವಾರು. ಕಬ್ಬು: ಉತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ (ಉತ್ತರ ಪ್ರದೇಶ), ದಕ್ಷಿಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಇಳುವರಿ, ಸಕ್ಕರೆ ಇಳುವರಿ. ಹತ್ತಿ ಕಪ್ಪು ಮಣ್ಣಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಂಗಾರು ಬೆಳೆ; ಬಿಟಿ ಹತ್ತಿ 2002. ಸೆಣಬು ಬಂಗಾಳದ ಮುಖಜ ಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಚಹಾ ಅಸ್ಸಾಂ, ಕಾಫಿ ನಮ್ಮ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ, ರಬ್ಬರ್ ಕೇರಳ; ಡಾರ್ಜಿಲಿಂಗ್ ಚಹಾಗೆ 2004ರಲ್ಲಿ ಮೊದಲ ಭೌಗೋಳಿಕ ಸೂಚಕ. ಆಪರೇಷನ್ ಫ್ಲಡ್ (1970) ತಂದ ಶ್ವೇತ ಕ್ರಾಂತಿಯಿಂದ ಹಾಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಮೊದಲು; ಈಗ ಕೆರೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಕುವ ಮೀನೇ ಸಮುದ್ರಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು. (→ English: White Revolution · हिन्दी: श्वेत क्रांति)

In exam EnglishPart 3 turned to crops grown for sale and to animals. Sugarcane has a large northern belt led by Uttar Pradesh and a peninsular belt that has traditionally had better yields and sugar recovery. Cotton is a kharif crop of the black soil; Bt cotton was approved in 2002. Jute needs a hot wet delta and water for retting, and West Bengal leads. Among plantation crops, Assam leads in tea, Karnataka in coffee and Kerala in natural rubber, and Darjeeling tea received India's first Geographical Indication in 2004. Since 2012–13 horticulture has outweighed foodgrains in tonnes. Operation Flood, begun in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board, created the White Revolution that made India the largest milk producer, and inland fish farming now gives more fish than the sea.
Agriculture of India at a glance: major crops
CropSeason or typeKey conditionsLeading states
RiceMainly kharifAbove about 25°C, over about 100 cm rain or irrigationWest Bengal, Uttar Pradesh
WheatRabiCool growing season, sunny ripening, irrigationUttar Pradesh
BajraKharif milletHot, dry, sandy soilsRajasthan
SugarcaneAbout a year in the fieldHot, humid, plenty of waterUttar Pradesh
CottonKharifBlack soil, about 200 frost-free daysGujarat, Maharashtra
TeaPlantationRain all year, acidic soil on slopesAssam
CoffeePlantationShaded Western Ghats slopesKarnataka
Natural rubberPlantationHot all year, over 200 cm rainKerala

ನಾಲ್ಕನೇ ಭಾಗ ನೀರು ಮತ್ತು ಬದಲಾವಣೆ. ನೀರಾವರಿಯ ಅರ್ಧಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಅಂತರ್ಜಲದಿಂದ, ಏಕೆಂದರೆ ಪಂಪಿನ ಸ್ವಿಚ್ ರೈತನ ಕೈಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಉತ್ತರದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಾಲುವೆ, ದಕ್ಷಿಣ ಪ್ರಸ್ಥಭೂಮಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆರೆ. ಮಳೆ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಹೆಚ್ಚು ಎತ್ತಿದರೆ 'ಅತಿ ಬಳಕೆ' ಘಟಕ. ಹನಿ, ತುಂತುರು ನೀರಿನ ಉಳಿತಾಯ; 2015ರ ಪಿಎಂಕೆಎಸ್‌ವೈ. ಹಸಿರು ಕ್ರಾಂತಿ ಎಂದರೆ ಬೀಜ + ಗೊಬ್ಬರ + ನೀರು + ಬೆಲೆ ಖಾತರಿ; ಆಹಾರ ನೆರವಿನ ಅಗತ್ಯ ಹೋಯಿತು, ಆದರೆ ಅಸಮಾನತೆ, ನೀರಿನ ಕೊರತೆ, ಹುಲ್ಲು ಸುಡುವುದು ಉಳಿದವು. ಸಾವಯವ ಎಂದರೆ ಕೊಂಡ ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ವಸ್ತು, ಪ್ರಮಾಣಪತ್ರ; ನೈಸರ್ಗಿಕ ಕೃಷಿ ಹೊಲದಲ್ಲೇ ಮಾಡಿದ್ದು. (→ English: groundwater; Green Revolution · हिन्दी: भूजल; हरित क्रांति)

In exam EnglishPart 4 dealt with water and change. Wells and tube wells together water more than half of the net irrigated area, ahead of canals, because groundwater is available when the farmer wants it; canals lead in the northern plains and coastal deltas, tanks on the hard-rock southern plateau. The Central Ground Water Board calls a unit over-exploited when it draws more than 100 percent of its yearly extractable recharge. Drip and sprinklers save water, and PMKSY (2015) runs under 'Har Khet Ko Pani' and 'Per Drop More Crop'. The Green Revolution of the mid-1960s joined high-yielding seed with fertiliser, irrigation and assured prices; it began with wheat in the north-west, ended dependence on food aid, but left regional and crop imbalances, falling water tables and stubble burning. Watershed development helps dry lands, organic farming uses certified natural inputs (Sikkim fully organic in 2016), and natural farming relies on farm-made inputs, with a national mission approved in November 2024.

ಈ ಅಧ್ಯಾಯ ಒಂದೇ ಸರಪಳಿ: ಹವಾಮಾನ, ಮಣ್ಣು ಏನು ಬೆಳೆಯುತ್ತದೆ; ಋತು ಯಾವಾಗ; ಮಾರುಕಟ್ಟೆ, ಸರ್ಕಾರ ಯಾವುದನ್ನು ಆರಿಸಬೇಕು; ನೀರು ಎಷ್ಟು ಇಳುವರಿ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳುತ್ತವೆ. ಯಾವ ಬೆಳೆಯ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಕೇಳಿದರೂ ಮೂರೇ: ಯಾವ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿ ಬೇಕು, ಯಾವ ಪ್ರದೇಶ, ಯಾವ ರಾಜ್ಯ ಮುಂದೆ, ಯಾವ ಇತಿಹಾಸ ಅಥವಾ ನೀತಿ ಅದನ್ನು ರೂಪಿಸಿತು. (→ English: agriculture of India · हिन्दी: भारत की कृषि)

In exam EnglishThe chapter is one chain of reasoning. Climate and soil decide what can grow, the seasons decide when, markets and policy decide what is chosen, and water decides how much the land can give. Every crop question in the exam comes back to the same three checks: the conditions it needs, the region that meets them and the state that leads, and the history or policy that shaped it.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. If the net sown area of a state is 100 lakh hectares and its gross cropped area is 160 lakh hectares, its cropping intensity is:

  1. 60 percent
  2. 160 percent
  3. 62.5 percent
  4. 260 percent
Show answer

Answer: B. 160 percent

Cropping intensity = gross cropped area ÷ net sown area × 100 = 160 ÷ 100 × 100 = 160 percent. 60 percent is only the extra area, 62.5 percent inverts the ratio, and 260 percent adds the two areas.

Q2. Which one of the following groups consists only of rabi crops?

  1. Wheat, gram and mustard
  2. Rice, cotton and soybean
  3. Wheat, groundnut and tur
  4. Watermelon, cucumber and fodder
Show answer

Answer: A. Wheat, gram and mustard

Wheat, gram and mustard are all sown after the monsoon and harvested in spring. Rice, cotton and soybean are kharif; groundnut and tur in the third group are kharif; watermelon, cucumber and fodder are zaid crops.

Q3. Consider the following statements:
1. In Indian agricultural statistics, oilseeds are included in foodgrains.
2. Maize is a coarse cereal but is not a millet.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: foodgrains are cereals plus pulses, and oilseeds are counted separately. Statement 2 is correct. So '1 only' and 'both' accept a wrong statement, and 'neither' rejects a correct one.

Q4. Match the crop with the state that leads in its production:
A. Tea — 1. Kerala
B. Coffee — 2. Rajasthan
C. Natural rubber — 3. Assam
D. Bajra — 4. Karnataka
Select the correct answer using the code given below.

  1. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2
  2. A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2
  3. A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2
  4. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
Show answer

Answer: A. A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Tea is led by Assam, coffee by Karnataka, natural rubber by Kerala and bajra by Rajasthan. The second option swaps tea and coffee, the third swaps coffee and rubber, and the fourth swaps rubber and bajra.

Q5. Operation Flood, which led to the White Revolution in India, was launched in 1970 by:

  1. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research
  2. The National Dairy Development Board
  3. The Food Corporation of India
  4. NABARD
Show answer

Answer: B. The National Dairy Development Board

Operation Flood was run by the National Dairy Development Board on the Anand model. ICAR is a research body, the FCI buys and stores grain, and NABARD (set up only in 1982) finances rural credit.

Q6. Which one of the following is the largest source of irrigation in India today?

  1. Canals
  2. Tanks
  3. Wells and tube wells
  4. Rainwater harvesting structures
Show answer

Answer: C. Wells and tube wells

Wells and tube wells together water more than half of the net irrigated area. Canals come a distant second, tanks hold a small and shrinking share, and rainwater structures are not counted as a major separate source.

Q7. Consider the following statements about the Green Revolution in India:
1. It began with wheat in the irrigated north-west in the mid-1960s.
2. It benefited pulses and oilseeds as much as wheat and rice.
3. It has been linked to falling groundwater tables in Punjab and Haryana.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

  1. 1 and 2 only
  2. 1 and 3 only
  3. 2 and 3 only
  4. 1, 2 and 3
Show answer

Answer: B. 1 and 3 only

Statements 1 and 3 are correct. Statement 2 is wrong: research, procurement and price support went mainly to wheat and rice, and pulses and oilseeds lagged. So every option containing 2 is wrong.

Q8. Which one of the following correctly distinguishes natural farming from certified organic farming?

  1. Natural farming permits small doses of chemical fertiliser.
  2. Natural farming relies mainly on inputs prepared on the farm, while organic farming may use bought organic inputs.
  3. Only natural farming requires certification before sale.
  4. Natural farming is practised only in Sikkim.
Show answer

Answer: B. Natural farming relies mainly on inputs prepared on the farm, while organic farming may use bought organic inputs.

Natural farming depends on farm-made inputs such as jeevamrit, whereas organic farming may buy natural inputs and is certified. Neither system allows chemical fertiliser, certification is a feature of organic farming, and Sikkim is known as the fully organic state, not as the only place of natural farming.

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