FOOD CROPS
Name of the crop Information
1) Rice i)It is the staple food crop of a
majority of the people in India.
ii)Our country is the second
largest producer of rice in the
world after China.
iii)It is a kharif crop.
2)Wheat i)This is the second most
important cereal crop.
ii) It is the main food crop, in
north and north-western part of
the country.
iii)This a rabi crop.
3)Millets i)Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are the
important millets grown in
India.
ii)Though, these are known as
coarse grains, they have very
high nutritional value. For
example, ragi is very rich in
iron, calcium, other micro
Conditions required for
growth
i)It requires high temperature,
(above 25°C) and high
humidity.
ii)Annual rainfall above 100
cm.
iii)In the areas of less rainfall,
it grows with the help of
irrigation.
i)It requires a cool growing
season and a bright sunshine at
the time of ripening.
ii)It requires 50 to 75 cm of
annual rainfall evenly
distributed over the growing
season.
i)Jowar is a rain-fed crop
mostly grown in the moist
areas which hardly needs
irrigation.
ii) Bajra grows well on sandy
soils and shallow black soil.
iii) Ragi is a crop of dry
regions and grows well on red,
Areas where it is found in
i)Rice is grown in the plains of
north and north-eastern India,
coastal areas and the deltaic
regions.
ii) Development of dense
networkof canal irrigation and
tubewells have made it possible
to grow rice in areas of less
rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana
and western Uttar Pradesh and
parts of Rajasthan.
There are two important wheat-
growing zones in the country –
the Ganga-Satluj plains in the
northwest and black soil region
of the Deccan. The major wheat-
producing states are Punjab,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Rajasthan and parts of Madhya
Pradesh.
i) Maharashtra is the largest
producer of jowar followed by
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh.
ii)Rajasthan is the largest
producer of bajra followed by
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
iii)Gujarat and Haryana.
 Bevarage Crops
5) Tea i) Tea cultivation is an example
of plantation agriculture. It is
also an important beverage crop
introduced in India initially by
the British.
ii) Tea is a labour intensive
industry. It requires abundant,
cheap and skilled labour. Tea is
processed within the tea garden
to restore its freshness.
6) Coffee i) India produces about four per
cent of the world’s coffee
production.
ii)Indian coffee is known in the
world for its good quality.
i)The tea plant grows well in i) Major tea producing states are
tropical and sub-tropical Assam, hills of Darjeeling and
climates endowed with deep Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal,
and fertile well-drained soil, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart
rich in humus and organic from these, Himachal Pradesh,
matter. Uttaranchal, Meghalaya, Andhra
Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-
ii)Tea bushes require warm and
producing states in the country.
moist frost-free climate all
through the year. Frequent
showers evenly distributed
over the year ensure continuous
growth of tender leaves.
i) Soils in which coffee may be i) Intially its cultivation was
grown vary from volcanic to introduced on the Baba Budan
peat and sand. The soil must Hills.
also be acidic, ranging from a
ii)Even today its cultivation is
pH of 4.5 to 6, and also deep,
confined to the Nilgiri in
at least one to two meters.
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
ii) High altitude, little wind, no Nadu.
excessive heat or cold,
1,200mm to 1,500mm of
rainfall per year.
 Fibre Crops

7)Jute i)It is known as the golden fibre. i) Jute grows well on well- i) West Bengal, Bihar, Assam,
drained fertile soils in the flood Orissa and Meghalaya are the
ii)It is used in making gunny
plains where soils are renewed major jute producing states.
bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets
every year.
and other artefacts. Due to its
high cost, it is losing market to ii) High temperature is required
synthetic fibres and packing during the time of growth.
materials, particularly the nylon.

i) Major cotton-producing states

8)Cotton i) India is believed to be the
original home of the cotton
plant. Cotton is one of the main
raw materials for cotton textile
industry.
ii) India is the third-largest
producer of cotton in the world.
are – Maharashtra, Gujarat,
i) It requires high temperature,
Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,
light rainfall or irrigation, 210
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
frost-free days and bright
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar
sunshine.
Pradesh.
ii) It is a kharif crop and
requires 6 to 8 months to
mature.