FOOD CROPS OTHER THAN GRAINS

 Food Crops other than Grains  .....

Sugarcane: It is a tropical as well as a

subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and

humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to

27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm.

and 100cm. Irrigation is required in the

regions of low rainfall. It can be grown on a

variety of soils and needs manual labour from

sowing to harvesting. India is the second

largest producer of sugarcane only after

Brazil. It is the main source of sugar, gur

(jaggary), khandsari and molasses. The major

sugarcane-producing states are Uttar

Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil

Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar,

Punjab and Haryana.

Oil Seeds: In 2018 India was the second

largest producer of groundnut in the world

after China. In rapeseed production India was

third largest producer in the world after

Canada and China in 2018. Different oil seeds

are grown covering approximately 12 per cent

of the total cropped area of the country. Main

oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut,

mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean,

castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and

sunflower. Most of these are edible and used

as cooking mediums. However, some of these

are also used as raw material in the

production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.

Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts

for about half of the major oilseeds produced in

the country. Gujarat was the largest producer

of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil

Nadu in 2019–20. Linseed and mustard are rabi

crops. Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and

rabi crop in south India. Castor seed is grown

both as rabi and kharif crop.

Tea: Tea cultivation is an example of

plantation agriculture. It is also an important

beverage crop introduced in India initially by

the British. Today, most of the tea plantations

are owned by Indians. The tea plant grows

well in tropical and sub-tropical climates

endowed with deep and fertile well-drained

soil, rich in humus and organic matter. Tea

bushes require warm and moist frost-free

climate all through the

year. Frequent showers

evenly distributed over the

year ensure continuous

growth of tender leaves.

Tea is a labour-intensive

industry. It requires

abundant, cheap and

skilled labour. Tea is

processed within

the tea garden to restore

its freshness. Major teaproducing

states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling

and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil

Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal

Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra

Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing

states in the country. In 2018 India was the

second largest producer of tea after China.

Coffee: Indian coffee is known in the world for

its good quality. The Arabica variety initially

brought from Yemen is produced in the

country. This variety is in great demand all over

the world. Initially its cultivation was

introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even

today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in

Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Horticulture Crops: In 2018, India was the

second largest producer of fruits and

vegetables in the world after China. India is a

producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.

Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal,

oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee

(Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala, Mizoram,

Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, lichi and guava

of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of

Meghalaya, grapes of Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana and Maharashtra, apples, pears,

apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir

and Himachal Pradesh are in great demand

the world over.