Agriculture in India — I : Introduction — Question 7

A few important characteristics of Indian agriculture are:

1. Dependence on Monsoons — The Indian agriculture depends upon arrival of monsoon which is highly unreliable and irregular. The large scale irrigation serves only one-third of crop area. The remaining has to suffer the vagaries of monsoon.
2. Variety of crops — India has variety of relief features and climatic conditions which enables cultivation of a variety of crops.
3. Preponderance of food crops — India has to feed a large population. Therefore, priority is give to the cultivation of food crops. More than 2/3rd of the total cropped area is taken up by cultivation of food crops.
4. Agricultural Pattern — India has three main crop seasons based on the changing climatic condition:
   1. Kharif
   2. Rabi
   3. Zaid