Distribution of Major Crops and Livestock in Maharashtra

Agriculture is the mainstay of the state of Maharashtra. Maharashtra’s economy is predominantly

agrarian. It is the main occupation of the people. Both food crops and cash crops are grown in the state.
Principal crops include rice, jowar, bajra, wheat, pulses, turmeric, onions, cotton, sugarcane and several
oil seeds including groundnut, sunflower and soybean. The state has huge areas, under fruit cultivation
of which mangoes, bananas, grapes, and oranges are the main ones.

Major districts contributing to the major crops are as below:

Ahmednagar: Major crops grown in Ahmednagar district are Bajra, Rice, Millets, Red Gram, Soya Bean,
Cotton, Wheat, Jowar, Maize, Pulses, Oil seeds, Sugarcane, fruits and vegetables. Leading horticulture
crops are Mango, Lime, Pomegranate, Guava, Banana, Custard Apple.

Amravati: Major crops grown in the district are Soyabean, Cotton, Pigeon Pea, Green Gram, Chickpea.
Amongst fruits, it produces Oranges, Mosambi, Banana, Guava etc.

Chandrapur: Chandrapur is the rice bowl of the state. Other crops grown are Paddy, Cotton, Sorghum,
Soyabean, Jowar and pulses.

Nagpur: Major crops grown in the district are Sugarcane, Wheat, Soyabean, Pulses, Groundnut.

Mumbai: Main crops grown in Mumbai district are Rice, Jowar, Mung Wheat, Tur, Groundnut, and other
pulses. It is also major producer of Oil Seeds, Peanuts, Sunflowers and Soyabean. In the suburbs, fruits
and vegetables and Coconuts are grown.

Kolhapur: Rice and Sugarcane are the major crops grown extensively in the region. Orchards of Banana
and Guava are seen in eastern part of the district.

Out of total cultivable land in Maharashtra about 60% land is under food grain crops, and Maharashtra
contribute only 5.8% production of food grains in India because Jowar is dominating crop but its yield is
low (583 kg/ha). Maharashtra is major producer of Jowar and Arhar contributing 46.09 and 29.11 %,
respectively to the total production of India. It is second largest producer of Cotton (22.21%), Soybean
(28.14%), and total cereals (13.56%) in the country.

The major cattle found in Maharashtra are Cows, Buffalo, Sheep and Poultry. As per 20th
Livestock Census (2019) the bovine livestock population of Maharashtra is 19.50 million out of
which cattle population is 13.90 million (7.22% of national population of 192.5 million) and
buffaloes population is 5.60 million (5.10% of national population of 109.9 million).
Distribution of transportation, Roads, Railways, Waterways in Maharashtra
It is the country's second-most-populous state and third-largest state by area. The state covers
307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi), or 9.84 percent of India's total area. Maharashtra has three modes of public
transportation: road, rail and air. The state has two major ports, both in the Mumbai region: Jawaharlal
Nehru Port (JNPT) and Mumbai Port Trust. The state covers 307,731 km2 (118,816 sq mi), or 9.84
percent of India's total area.

Mumbai is the centre point of the railway network in Maharashtra, owning three major railway stations and
the headquarters of two Railway Zones in India. The capital city is connected to most of the important
cities of India by railways. Rail transport is supported by Central railways with Konkan railways in coastal
areas. Many significant tourist spots in the state are connected to Mumbai by regular trains. The other
cities and district headquarters of the state are also well connected by trains.

Road Transport
At 267,452 kilometers (166,187 mi), Maharashtra has India's largest road network. Seventeen national
highways connect Maharashtra to six neighboring states. The state's national highways are 4,688
kilometers (2,913 mi) long. Maharashtra also has a large state-highway network; in March 2018, 99.5
percent of the state's villages were connected by all-weather roads. The Yashwantrao Chavan Mumbai-
Pune Expressway, India's first controlled-access toll road, became fully operational in April 2002.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has been providing public-sector road
passenger service since 1948, linking most of the state's towns and villages in a large network. These
buses, popularly known as ST (State Transport), are the preferred mode of transport for much of
Maharashtra's population. In addition to the government-run buses, private luxury buses serve major
population centres. Other modes of public road transport, such as the seven-seat Tempo, have become
popular in semi-urban areas.
Railway Transport

Rail transport is primarily provided by Indian Railways, part of the Ministry of Railways and divided into
eighteen zones.IR is sub-divided into sixty-seven divisions, each with a divisional headquarters.
Maharashtra is connected to other parts of India with a 5,983-kilometre (3,718 mi) rail network, and
contains many IR zone and division headquarters:

 IR's Central and Western Railway zones

 Nagpur Junction
 The Nanded
 The Konkan Railway

Maharashtra also has metro and monorail networks. Mumbai Metro is operational, and metros
in Nagpur, Navi Mumbai, Nashik and Pune are under construction.

Water Transport

The ports on the Konkan coast have historically been the gateway to the Deccan Plateau. Although most
have diminished in importance, they remain fishing ports. Maharashtra's two principal ports, Mumbai
Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (also in the Mumbai region), are controlled by the government of
India. There are about 50 minor ports in Maharashtra; most handle passenger traffic, with limited
capacity. None of the state's major rivers are navigable.