Oil Seeds
Temperature: 15-30°C
Rainfall: 30-75 cm.
Soil Type: Loam to clayey loam and well-drained sandy loams.
Top Oilseed Producing States: Madhya Pradesh > Rajasthan > Gujarat > Maharashtra
> Uttar Pradesh
Various oil seeds are planted, accounting for around 12% of the country's total
cropped area.
The majority of these are edible and can be used as cooking media.
Some of these, however, are also utilised as raw materials in the manufacture of soap,
cosmetics, and ointments.
Groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton
seeds, linseed, and sunflower are the most common oilseeds produced in India.
Government programmes for oilseeds include the Yellow Revolution and
the Integrated Scheme on Oilseeds, Pulses, Oil Palm, and Maize (ISOPOM).
Groundnut is a kharif crop that accounts for over half of the country's principal
oilseed production.
Rabi crops include linseed and mustard.
Sesamum is a kharif crop in the north and a rabi crop in the south.
Castor seed is grown in both the rabi and kharif seasons.
Groundnut
Cotton
It is a tropical and subtropical crop that requires high temperatures ranging from 21
to 30 degrees Celsius and an annual rainfall of 50 to 100 centimetres.
Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, and Rajasthan account for approximately 80% of total
cotton irrigated area.
A high amount of rainfall in the beginning and sunny and dry weather during the
ripening period are beneficial for a good crop.
It is primarily a Kharif crop, but it is also grown as a Rabi crop in Tamil Nadu.
It grows well in deep black (regur) soils of the Deccan Plateau, as well as alluvial
soils of the Satluj-ganga plain.
After the United States and China, India is the world's third largest producer of cotton.
Gujarat is India's largest cotton-producing state.
It is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, among other places.
The government initiatives for increasing cotton production in India are the Silver
Fibre Revolution and the Technology Mission on Cotton.
Cotton has been genetically modified into BT Cotton to combat environmental stress
and pest attacks.
Cotton
Jute
It is known as the golden fibre.
It is a hot and humid climate crop.
It necessitates high temperatures ranging from 24℃ to 35℃, as well as heavy rainfall
of 120-150 cm and relative humidity of 80-90%.
A large amount of water is required not only for crop growth but also for fibre
processing after the crop is harvested.
Light sandy or clayey loams are thought to be the best for jute.
Growing and processing jute requires a large supply of cheap labour.
India is the world's leading jute producer.
Over 99% of India's total jute is produced in just five states: West Bengal, Bihar,
Assam, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha, with West Bengal being the largest producer.
It is used to make gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other items.
Because of its high cost, it is losing market share to synthetic fibres and packing
materials, particularly nylon.
Two government initiatives to increase jute production in India are the Golden Fibre
Revolution and the Technology Mission on Jute and Mesta.
Jute
Tea
Temperature: 20-30°C
Rainfall: 150-300 cm.
Soil Type: Deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in humus and organic matter.
Tea, introduced by the British and produced in India, is one of the most important
beverage crops.
Tea is an evergreen tropical and subtropical plant that grows in tropical and
subtropical climates.
India is both the world's second-largest producer and its largest consumer.
To avoid waterlogging in the roots, tea is frequently grown on the slopes of hillsides.
Its leaves must be harvested several times per year, necessitating the availability of
plentiful and cheap labour.
Tea bushes require a warm, frost-free climate all year.
Frequent rainfall, evenly distributed throughout the year, ensures that the delicate
leaves continue to thrive.
Assam, the hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and
Kerala are the top tea-producing states.
Other tea-producing states in the country include Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal,
Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Tripura.
Tea Development and Promotion Scheme, Wage Compensation Scheme, and Tea
Boutiques are a few of the government tea schemes.
Tea
Coffee
Temperatures ranging from 16° to 28° C, rainfall ranging from 150-250cm, and well-
drained slopes are all required for its establishment.
It grows on mountain slopes between 900 and 1800 metres above sea level. India
produces about 4% of the world's total coffee production.
Plants are harmed by low temperatures, frost, extended periods of dry weather, and
direct sunlight.
Soil Type: Well-drained, deep friable loamy soil.
India is the world's seventh-largest producer of coffee.
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the top coffee-producing states.
Karnataka's laterite soils are ideal for growing coffee plants.
Coffee was first introduced on the Baba Budan Hills after it was brought from
Yemen.
Coffee is an export product with a high employment rate and a low import intensity.
It is demonstrated by the fact that the sector, directly and indirectly, employs
approximately six lakh people.
Arabica and Robusta are the two main coffee varieties grown in India.
Arabica coffee has a higher market value than Robusta coffee because the beans are
more aromatic.
Robusta, on the other hand, has higher strength and is used in a wide range of blends.
Coffee
Significance of Cash Crops
Cash crop cultivation is critical in developing countries like India for ensuring
economic sustainability for farmers and food security for society as a whole.
Farmers benefit from increased profits from cash crop farming, which raises their
standard of living.
It also contributes to the creation of more job opportunities in the agricultural and
agro-based sectors, thereby boosting the overall economy.
This stimulates agricultural innovation by increasing capital available for
agricultural investment and rural development.
As the human population grows, so will the demand for food. It is then necessary to
find ways to meet that demand.
Because farming such crops focuses on increasing yields as well as product quality,
it is an important step toward achieving global food security.
The concept of sustainable agricultural intensification, which aims to combine
increased agricultural production with environmental protection, underpins the future
of cash crop farming.
This entails preserving soil fertility, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services
through techniques such as micro-dosing fertiliser, intercropping, genetic crop
improvements, and so on.
The only way to ensure long-term food security is to reduce one's environmental
footprint.
