THE PRESENT CROPPING PATTERNS

As indicated earlier in this chapter, we can

hardly describe all the cropping patterns within
the framework of this chapter. Therefore only
important ones are highlighted. There are many
ways in which a cropping pattern can be
discussed.
A broad picture of the major cropping patterns
in India can be presented by taking the major
crops into consideration. To begin with, the
south-westerly monsoon crops (kharif), bajra,
maize, ragi, groundnut and cotton. Among the
post-monsoon crops (rabi), wheat, sorghum
(rabi)and gram can also be considered to be
the base crops for describing the cropping
patterns. With such an approach, the crop
occupying the highest percentage of the sown
area of the region is taken as the base crop and
all other possible alternative crops which are
sown in the region either as substitutes of the
base crop in the same season or as the crops
which fit in the rotation in the subsequent
season, are considered in the pattern. Also
these crops have been identified as associating

themselves with a paricular type of agroclimate,

and certain other minor crops with similar
requirements are grouped in one category. For
example, wheat, barley and oats, are taken as
one category. Similarly the minor millets
(Paspalum,Setaria and Panicum spp.) are
grouped with sorghum or bajra. Certain other
crops, such as the plantation crops and other
industrial crops are discussed seperately.
THE KHARIF-SEASON CROPPING
PATTERNS
Among the kharif crops, rice, jowar, bajra,
maize, groundnut and cotton are the prominent
crops to be considered the base crops for
describing the kharif cropping patterns.
The rice-based cropping patterns. Rice is
grown in the high-rainfall area or in areas where
supplemental irrigation is available to ensure
good yields. If the crop has to depend solely on
rainfall, it requires not less than 30 cm per
month of rainfall over the entire growing period.
However, only 9 per cent of the area in the
country comes under this category, and it lies in

the eastern parts. Nearly 45 per cent of the total

rice area in India recieves 30 cm per month of
rainfall during at least two months (July and
August) of the south-westerly monsoon and
much less during other months. In contrast to
these parts, the eastern and southern regions
comprising Assam, West Bengal, coastal
Orissa, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka
(most part), Tamil nadu and Kerala receive
rainfall of 10 to 20 cm per month in four to eight
consecutive months, starting earlier or going
over later than the south-westerly monsoon
months. With supplemental irrigation, 2 or 3
crops are taken in these areas. However, it has
been observed that on an all-India basis, nearly
80% of rice is sown during June-September
and the rest during the rest of the season.
Areawise the mono-season belt occupies 53.6
per cent of the area (comprising Assam, West
Bengal, coastal Orissa, coastal Andhra
Pradesh, parts of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and
Kerala).
On an all-India basis, about 30 rice-based
cropping patterns have been identified in
different states. In the most humid areas of

eastern India comprising Tripura, Manipur and

Mizoram, rice is the exclusive crop. In
Meghalaya, rice is alternated with cotton,
vegetable and food-crops, whereas in
Arunachal Pradesh, where rice is not grown
exclusively, the alternative crops being maize,
small millets and oilseeds. In parts of Assam,
West Bengal, Bihar, orissa and northern coastal
districts of Andhra Pradesh, jute forms an
important commercial crop alternative to rice. In
West Bengal, besides rice and jute, pulses and
maize are grown on a limited scale. In Bihar,
rice is grown over 49 per cent(5.3 m ha) of its
cropped area(14.2 per cent of all-India area),
whereas pulses, wheat, jute, maize, sugarcane
and oilseeds are the alternative crops. In Uttar
Pradesh rice is grown on 19 per cent(4.6 m ha)
of its cropped area and represents about 12.4
per cent of the all-India area under this crop.
Rice is concentrated in the eastern districts of
Uttar Pradesh where the alternative crops are
pulses, groundnut, sugarcane, bajra and jowar
in the decreasing order of their importance.
Tobacco is grown in some districts.

In Orissa, rice is grown on more than 50 per

cent of the area, whereas the alternative crops
are: pulses, ragi, oilseeds, maize and small
millets. in Madhya Pradesh rice is grown in the
Chattisgarh area on 4.3 m ha(11.7 per cent of
the all-India rice area), but the crop suffers
because of inadequate rainfall and irrigation.
The important alternative crops of this area are:
small millets, pulses and groundnut. Wheat is
also grown on a limited scale.
In the southern states, namely Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu and Kerala rice is grown in more
than one season and mostly under irrigation or
under sufficient rainfall. Together, these three
states have over 6.0 m ha, representing over 17
per cent of the all-India area under rice.
Important alternative plantation crops in Andhra
Pradesh are: pulses, groundnut, jowar, maize,
sugarcane and tobacco. In Karnataka the crops
alternative to rice are: ragi, plantation crops,
bajra, cotton, groundnut, jowar and maize. In
Kerala plantation crops and tapioca form the
main plantation crops alternative to rice. in
Maharashtra rice is grown mostly in the Konkan
area over 1.3 m ha, along with ragi, pulses, rabi

jowar, sugarcane, groundnuts and oilseeds. in

other states, namely Gujarat, Jammu and
Kashmir, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh,rice
forms a minor plantation crop and is mostly
grown with irrigation. However, in Punjab and
Haryana and to some extent in western Uttar
Pradesh owing to high water-table during this
monsoon season, rice has become a major
crops in such areas.
The kharif cereals other than rice. Maize,
jowar and bajra form the main kharif cereals,
whereas ragi and small millets come next and
are grown on a limited area. by and large,
maize is a crop grown commonly in high-rainfall
areas, or on soils with a better capacity for
retaining moisture, but with good drainage. Next
comes jowar in the medium rainfall regions
whereas bajra has been the main crop in areas
with low or less dependable rainfall and on light
textured soils. The extent of the area under
these crops during the south-westerly monsoon
season is maize, 5.6 m ha; jowar (kharif), 11
mha, and bajra,12.4 m ha. Even though these
crops are spread all over the western, northern
and southern India, the regions of these crops

patterns are demarcated well to the west of 80o

longitude (except that of maize). Ragi as a
kharif cereal (2.4 m ha) is mainly concentrated
in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh
which account for main than 60 per cent of the
total area under this crop in India. The cropping
patterns based on each of these kharif cereals
are discussed.
The maize-based cropping patterns. The
largest area under the kharif maize is in Uttar
Pradesh (1.4m ha), followed by Bihar (0.96 m
ha), Rajasthan (0.78 m ha), Madhya Pradesh
(0.58 m ha) and Punjab (0.52 m ha). In four
states namely Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, the
area under maize ranges from 0.24 to 0.28 m
ha in each, whereas other states have much
less area under it. Taking the rainfall of the
maize growing areas under consideration, over
72 per cent of the areas receive 20-30 cm per
month of rainfall in at least two months or more
during the south westerly monsoon season.
On the all-India basis, about 12 cropping
patterns have been identified. They have maize

as the base crop. In the maize growing areas of

Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, rice in kharif and
wheat in rabi are the main alternative crops. In
some areas, bajra, groundnut, sugarcane, ragi
and pulses are taken as alternative crops. In
Rajasthan maize is grown as an extensive crop
in some areas, whereas at other places, it is
replaced by small millets, pulses, groundnut
and wheat(rabi) as alternative crop. in madhya
Pradesh mainly the kharif jowar is replaced by
maize, whereas rice and groundnut are also
grown to a limited extent. In Punjab maize has
groundnut, fodder crops and wheat(rabi) as
alternative crops. In other states, e.g. Gujarat,
rice, groundnut, cotton and wheat form the
alternative crops in the maize-growing areas of
Himachal Pradesh, whereas in Andhra
Pradesh, rice, kharif jowar, and oilseeds are
grown in these areas.
The kharif jowar-based cropping patterns.
The area under the kharif jowar in India is
highest in Maharashtra (2.5 m ha), closely
followed by madhya Pradesh (2.3 m ha),
whereas in each of the states of Rajasthan,
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Gujarat, the

area under this crops is between 1.0 and 1.4 m

ha. Jowar is mainly grown where rainfall
distribution ranges from 10-20 per month at
least for 3 to 4 months of the south-westerly
monsoon or is still more abundant.
On the all-India basis, about 17 major cropping
patterns have been identified. In them the base
crops is kharif jowar. Most of the alternative
crops are also of the type which can be grown
under medium rainfall.
In Maharashtra cotton, pulses, groundnut and
small millets are sown as alternative crops. In
the adjacent states of Madhya Pradesh,
besides the above alternative crops, wheat and
fodder are sown. In Rajasthan wheat, cotton,
bajra and maize are grown in the kharif-jowar
tract, whereas in Andhra Pradesh, groundnuts,
cotton, oilseeds and pulses form the main
alternative crops. Besides cotton and
groundnut, ragi is sown in the kharif-jowar tarct
of Karnataka, whereas in Gujarat, bajra, cotton
and groundnut are the major alternative crops.

The bajra-based cropping patterns. Bajra is

more drought-resistent crop than several other
cereal crops and is generally preferred in lowrainfall areas and on light soils. The area under
the bajra crop in India is about 12.4 m ha and
Rajasthan (4.6 m ha) shares about the 2/3 total
area. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh
together have over 4.6 m ha, constituting an
additional 1/3 area under bajra, in India. Over
66 per cent of this crop is grown in areas
receiving 10-20 cm per month of rainfall,
extending over 1 to 4 months of the southwesterly monsoon.
On the all-India basis, about 20 major cropping
patterns have been identified with bajra.
However, it may be observed that jowar and
bajra are grown mostly under identical
environmental conditions and both have a wide
spectrum adaptability in respect of rainfall,
temperature and rainfall.
Considering the cropping patterns in different
states, bajra is grown along with pulses,
groundnut, oilseeds and kharif jowar in
Rajasthan. Gujarat has a similar cropping

pattern in its bajra areas, except that cotton and

tobacco are also grown. In Maharashtra
besides having some areas solely under bajra,
pulses, wheat, rabi jowar, groundnut and cotton
are substituted for it. In Uttar Pradesh, maize,
rice and wheat form the main alternative crops
to this crop.
The groundnut based cropping patterns.
Groundnut is sown over an area of about 7.2 m
ha, mostly in five major groundnut-producing
states of Gujarat (24.4 per cent area), Andhra
Pradesh (20.2) per cent), Tamil Nadu (13.5 per
cent), Maharashtra (12.2 per cent) and
Karnataka (12.0 per cent). Five other states viz.
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab,
Rajasthan and Orissa together have about 17.3
per cent of the total area under this crop. The
rainfall in the groundnut area ranges from 20-30
cm per month in one of the monsoon months
and much less in the other months. In some
cases the rainfall is even less than 10 cm. per
month during the growth of the crop. The
irrigated area under groundnut is very small and
that too, in a few states only, viz. Punjab(16.4

per cent), Tamil Nadu (13.3 per cent)and

Andhra Pradesh (12.5 per cent).
On the all-India level, about 9 cropping patterns
have been identified with this crop. In Gujarat
besides the sole crop of groundnut in some
areas, bajra, is the major alternative crop,
whereas the kharif jowar, cotton and pulses are
also grown in this tract. In Andhra Pradesh and
Tamil Nadu, this crop receives irrigation in
some areas and rice forms an alternative crop.
Under rainfed conditions, bajra, kharif jowar,
small millets, cotton and pulses are grown as
alternative crops. In Maharashtra both the kharif
and rabi jowar and small millets are important
alternative crops. In Karnataka also, jowar is
the major alternative crop, whereas cotton,
tobacco, sugarcane and wheat are also grown
in this tract.
The cotton-based cropping patterns. Cotton
is grown over 7.6 m ha in India. Maharashtra
shares 36 per cent (2.8 m ha), followed by
Gujarat with 21 per cent (1.6 m ha), Karnataka
with 13 per cent (1 m ha) and Madhya Pradesh
with 9 per cent (0.6 m ha) of the area. Together,

these four states account for about 80 per cent

of the area under cotton. Other cottom-growing
states with smaller areas are Punjab, with 5 per
cent (0.4 m ha), Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu each with 4 per cent (0.31 m ha),
Haryana and Rajasthan with 3 per cent of each
(0.2 m ha each). Most of the coton areas in the
country are under the high to medium rainfall
zone. The cotton grown in Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh
(4.8 m ha) is rainfed, whereas in Gujarat and
Tamil Nadu (1.93 m ha) it receives partial
irrigation 16-20 per cent of the area). The area
under cotton in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan
and Uttar Pradesh (0.8 m ha)gets adequate
irigation, randing from 71 to 97 per cent of the
area. These growing conditions, together with
the species of cotton grown, determine the
duration of the crop which may vary from about
5 to 9 months.
On the all-India basis, about 16 broad cropping
pattens have been identified. In Maharashtra,
Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and
Karnataka, the cropping patterns in the cottongrowing areas are mostly similar owing to

identical rainfall. These patterns include jowar

(kharif and rabi), groundnut and small millets.
Pulses and wheat are also grown in a limited
area. In some pockets, wher irrigation is
available, rice and sugarcane are also grown. In
Gujarat, rice, tobacco and maize are grown,
besides the rainfed crops, e.g. jowar and bajra.
THE RABI SEASON CROPPING PATTERNS
Among the rabi crops, wheat, together with
barley and oats, jowar and gram, are the main
base crops among the rabi cropping patterns.
Generally, wheat and gram are concentrated in
the subtropical region in northern India,
whereas the rabi sorghum is grown mostly in
the Deccan. The extent of these areas in
different states is as follows;
Region (per
Crop
Area cent of all-India
area)
Uttar Pradesh
2.5 m (51), Haryana
Sugarcane
ha (6),Bihar (6),
Punjab (6),

Tobacco

Potato

Jute

Maharashtra (8),
Andhra Pradesh
(5),Tamil Nadu
(5), Karnataka
(3)
Andhra Pradesh
(48), Gujarat
(19.5),
0.427
Karnataka (8.7),
m ha
Maharashtra
(3.5), Tamil
Nadu (3.5)
Uttar Pradesh
(33.6), Bihar
(20.4), West
0.491
Bengal (13.3),
Assam (5.2),
Orissa (4.8)
West Bengal
(60), North
eastern Region
0.778 (18.7), Bihar
(17.6), Orissa
(6.1), Uttar
Pradesh (1.7)

Coconut

Rubber

Cashew

Tea

Coffee

Kerala (68.3),
Karnataka
1.05 (12.4), Tamil
m ha Nadu (9.7),
Andhra Pradesh
(3.5)
Kerala (92.8),
0.197 Tamil Nadu
m ha (5.0), Karnataka
(1.9)
Kerala (67.4),
Karnataka
(12.1), Andhra
0.264 Pradesh (10.8),
m ha Tamil Nadu
(9.8),
Maharashtra
(4.8)
West Bengal,
Assam and
0.35 Tripura (77),
m ha Kerala, Tamil
Nadu and
Karnataka (20)
0.138 Kerala , Tamil

All fruitcrops"

Onion

Chillies

m ha Nadu and
Karnataka (99)
1.8 m Spread all-over
ha India
Maharashtra
(18.5),
Karnataka
(11.7), Andhra
Pradesh (12.8),
0.16 Tamil Nadu
m ha (11.2), West
Bengal (7.6),
Madhya
Pradesh (7.2),
Orissa (6.8),
Punjab (6.2)
Andhra Pradesh
(26.9),
Maharashtra
(20.4),
0.733
Karnataka(14.5),
m ha
Madhya
Pradesh (5.5),
Tamil Nadu
(10.1)

Andhra Pradesh
(36), Rajasthan
0.283 (23.6), Madhya
Coriander
m ha Pradesh (11.1),
Tamil Nadu
(10.0)
In several sugarcane-growing areas, monocropping is practised, and during the interval
between the crops, short duration seasonal
crops are grown. In U.P., Bihar, Punjab and
Haryana, wheat and maize are the rotation
crops. rice is also grown in some areas. In the
southern states, namely Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh, ragi, rice and pulses are
grown along with sugarcane. In Maharashtra,
pulses, jowar and cotton are grown.
In the potato-growing region, maize, pulses,
wheat are the alternative crops. in the tobaccogrowing areas, depending on the season and
the type of tobacco, jowar, oilseeeds and maize
are grown in rotation. in the jute-growing areas,
rice is the usual alternative crop.

In the case of plantation-crops, intercropping

with pulses and fodder crops is common.
Spices and condiments are generally grown on
fertile soils. Chillies are rotated with jowar,
whereas onion, corriander, turmeric and ginger
are grown as mixed crops with other seasonal
crops.
Mixed Cropping. Crops mixtures are widely
grown, especially during the kharif season.
Pulses and some oilseeds are grown with
maize, jowar and bajra. Lowland rice is
invariably grown unmixed, but in the case of
upland rice, several mixtures are prevalent in
eastern Uttar Pradesh, with Chotanagpur
Division of Bihar and in the Chhatisgarh
Division of Madhya Pradesh. During the rabi
season, especially in the unirrigated area of the
north, wheat and barley and wheat and gram or
wheat + barley + gram are the mixtures of grain
crops. Brassica and safflower are grown mixed
with gram or even with wheat. Mixed cropping
was considered by researchers a primitive
practice, but now many researchers regard
mixed cropping as the most efficient way of
using land. Several new mixtures have recently

been suggested. They ensure an efficient

utilization of sunshine and land. Breeders are
developing plant types in pulses and oilseeds,
with good compatibility with row crops.
The future of cropping patterns. With the
increase in population, the irrigated area is
increasing and with advances in agricultural
science, most of the extensive cropping
patterns are giving way to intensive cropping.
The development in minor irrigation works has
especially provided the farmes with
opportunities to crop their land all the year
round with high-yielding varieties. This intensive
cropping will require an easy and ready
availability of balanced fertilizers and plant
protection chemicals and an appropriate price
policy for inputs and agricultural produce.
India is a country of small farmers. In the future
the size of the holdings will diminish further.
The country has to produce enough for its
people without deteriorating the quality of the
environment.

This is the challenge of the future for the

farmers, agricultural scientists, extension
workers and administrators.