Crops of India: Kharif, Rabi and Cash Crops
Agriculture supports the largest share of India's population, and the crops of the country are arranged around the rhythm of the monsoon. Rice is the staple food crop of India, and almost every region grows something, from the paddy fields of Assam and West Bengal to the wheat lands of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh and the cotton fields of Gujarat. Because the rainfall, temperature and soil differ from place to place, the same country produces both food crops and cash crops, both rain-fed and irrigated crops, and both subsistence and plantation crops. For competitive exams, the cropping seasons, the leading producer of each crop and the special crops of Assam are among the most frequently asked facts in the general-knowledge paper.
The cropping seasons: Kharif, Rabi and Zaid
India has two main cropping seasons, Kharif and Rabi, and a short summer season called Zaid. The Kharif crop is sown with the arrival of the monsoon in June-July and harvested in September-October; its main crops are rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton and jute. The Rabi crop is sown in the winter, in October-December, and harvested in the summer, in April-June; its main crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. The Zaid crop is grown in the short summer season between the Rabi and the Kharif harvests, and includes vegetables, melons and fodder. In Assam the summer paddy is called Ahu, and the so-called bhadai crop is the Ahu paddy grown in the summer.
Food crops: rice and wheat
Rice is grown in the maximum area of India and is the staple food of a large part of the country. The largest producer of rice in the world is China, and the largest producer in India is West Bengal. In the North-East, Assam is a major rice state and its rice crop is traditionally divided into Aman, the winter variety, and Aus, the summer or autumn variety. Wheat is the second most important food crop of India and is grown mainly in the cooler north-western plains; the state that produces the most wheat is Uttar Pradesh. Together with rice, wheat was the crop of the Green Revolution, and the scientist honoured as the Father of the Green Revolution in India is Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. These two cereals, supported by irrigation and high-yielding seeds, changed India from a food-importing country into a food-secure one.
Cash crops: sugarcane, cotton and jute
A cash crop is grown mainly to be sold rather than eaten by the farmer's family. Sugarcane, the raw material of sugar and jaggery, is grown most in Uttar Pradesh. Cotton, the fibre of the textile industry, is grown most in Gujarat, whose black soil suits it well. Jute, which is called the golden fibre of India because of its colour and value, is grown most in West Bengal, in the fertile delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Cash crops earn the farmer money and also feed the factories that make cloth, sacks, sugar and oil, so they connect agriculture to industry and to trade. Their success depends heavily on irrigation, because they must be grown and harvested on a fixed calendar.
Plantation crops: tea, coffee and rubber
Plantation crops are grown on large estates and are usually processed before they are sold. Tea needs a warm and humid climate, rainfall that is well distributed through the year and well-drained soil; it is grown on the hill slopes of the North-East and the south. The largest producer of tea in the world is China and the largest producer in India is Assam, and the Dibrugarh district of Assam is the largest tea-producing district in the world. Tea is the main cash crop of Assam, and the plantations of the Brahmaputra valley give employment to a very large number of people. Coffee is grown on the hill slopes of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which includes the famous Kodagu and Chikmagalur areas, is the largest producer of coffee in India. Rubber is a plantation crop grown mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the North-East, and Kerala is the largest producer.
Oilseeds and pulses
The main oilseed crop of India is groundnut, and the largest producer of groundnut is Gujarat; mustard, sesame, soybean and sunflower are other important oilseeds. Pulses are the leguminous crops such as gram, tur and moong, and they are especially valuable because they restore nitrogen to the soil and provide protein to a largely vegetarian population. The largest producer of pulses in India is Madhya Pradesh. Pulses are grown both in the Kharif and the Rabi seasons and are an important part of the government's effort to reduce the import of protein foods.
The Green Revolution and agricultural change
The Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, was based on high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, on the expansion of irrigation and on the use of fertilisers and pesticides. It made the north-western states, especially Punjab and Haryana, the granaries of India and turned the country from a food-importing nation into a self-sufficient one. Its costs, however, include the over-use of water and fertiliser, the falling level of the water table and the narrowing of the crops grown. Modern policy therefore speaks of a second green revolution and of sustainable agriculture, which tries to raise production without damaging soil, water and biodiversity, and this is where the traditional crops and methods of Assam and the North-East have much to contribute.
Quick revision
For quick revision, remember the seasons first: Kharif sown in June-July and harvested in September-October, Rabi sown in October-December and harvested in April-June, and Zaid in the short summer between them. Then fix the leaders: rice is the staple crop grown in the maximum area, West Bengal leads in rice and jute, Uttar Pradesh in wheat and sugarcane, Gujarat in cotton and groundnut, Assam in tea, Karnataka in coffee and Kerala in rubber, while Madhya Pradesh leads in pulses. Keep the world leaders apart: China leads in rice and tea. Finally, remember that jute is the golden fibre, the Dibrugarh district is the largest tea district of the world, the Green Revolution crops were wheat and rice and its Indian father is Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, while rice has the Aman and Aus varieties and Assam's summer paddy is Ahu or bhadai.
How to prepare this topic
- Learn the three seasons as a calendar, because the sowing and harvesting months of Kharif, Rabi and Zaid are asked directly and also decide which crop belongs where.
- Make a leader chart of crop and state, and keep the two world leaders - China for rice and tea - in a separate corner so they are not confused with the Indian leaders.
- Treat the plantation crops as a group with their climate needs: tea with warm humid conditions and well-drained soil, coffee and rubber with hill slopes and heavy rain.
- Prepare the Assam facts separately - tea the main cash crop, Dibrugarh the leading tea district, Ahu or bhadai the summer paddy and Aman and Aus the rice varieties.
- Revise the Green Revolution as cause and effect: high-yielding wheat and rice, irrigation, food security, and then the costs that led to the idea of sustainable agriculture.
Common exam traps
- China, not India, is the largest producer of rice and tea in the world; the questions may ask either the world leader or the Indian leader.
- West Bengal leads in rice and jute, while Uttar Pradesh leads in wheat and sugarcane; do not swap these two states.
- Jute is the golden fibre, but the crop grown most widely in area is rice.
- The Green Revolution's main crops were wheat and rice, and its Indian father is Dr. M.S. Swaminathan, not an earlier ruler or reformer.
- Aman and Aus are rice varieties, while Ahu or bhadai is the summer paddy of Assam; the terms belong to the same crop but mean different seasons.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Kharif, Rabi and Zaid cropping seasons of India?
India has two main cropping seasons, Kharif and Rabi, and a short summer season called Zaid. Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon in June-July and harvested in September-October, and include rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton and jute. Rabi crops are sown in October-December and harvested in April-June, and include wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. Zaid crops are grown in the short summer between the Rabi and Kharif seasons.
Which are the leading producers of rice, wheat, sugarcane and cotton in India?
Rice is the staple food crop of India and is grown in the maximum area; the largest producer in India is West Bengal, while China leads in the world. Uttar Pradesh produces the most wheat and the most sugarcane. Gujarat is the largest producer of cotton, whose black soil suits it, and West Bengal is the largest producer of jute, which is called the golden fibre of India.
What conditions does tea need and why is tea important to Assam?
Tea needs a warm and humid climate, rainfall that is well distributed through the year and well-drained soil, so it is grown on hill slopes. India's largest producer of tea is Assam, and the Dibrugarh district of Assam is the largest tea-producing district in the world. Tea is the main cash crop of Assam and provides employment to a very large number of people. China is the largest producer of tea in the world.
Where are coffee and rubber grown in India and which states lead?
Coffee is grown on the hill slopes of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee in India. Rubber is a plantation crop grown mainly in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the North-East, and Kerala is the largest producer of rubber. Plantation crops are grown on large estates and are usually processed before being sold, which is why they are important to both agriculture and industry.
What was the Green Revolution and what are the main oilseed and pulse crops of India?
The Green Revolution, which began in the 1960s, used high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice together with irrigation and fertilisers, and it made India food-secure. The scientist called the Father of the Green Revolution in India is Dr. M.S. Swaminathan. The main oilseed crop of India is groundnut, with Gujarat as the largest producer, and pulses such as gram, tur and moong are led by Madhya Pradesh.