Food Crops other than Grains - Concepts - Chapter 4 Class 10 Geography - Agriculture - Geography

• In agriculture apart from grains other edible items are produced .
• Such as sugarcane, tea, oil seeds, coffee, and horticulture crops.

Sugarcane 

• It grows in both tropical and subtropical regions .
• Climatic conditions to grow sugarcane
• Hot and humid climate .
• Annual temperature: 21°C to27°C 
• Annual precipitation between 75cm to 100cm.

• India is the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.
• It is the primary source of gur (jaggery), khandsari, molasses, and sugar.
• Major sugarcane-producing states : Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana.

Oil Seeds

• About 12% of the country's total cultivated area is dedicated to the cultivation of various oil seeds. 
•  Main oil seeds produced in India : groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soybean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed, and sunflower.
• After China, India was the world's second-largest producer of groundnuts in 2018. 
• After Canada and China, India was the third-largest producer of rapeseed in the world in 2018. 
• Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu. 

Tea 

   

• Tea is an example of plantation agriculture.
• It is the significant beverage crop that the British first introduced to India.
• Cultivate in tropical and subtropical areas with deep, fertile, well-drained soil that is rich in humus and organic matter,
• Climatic condition 
• Warm and moist frost-free climate
• Moderate temperature : 21 °C-29°C
• Tea is a labour-intensive industry.
• After China, India was the world's second-largest tea producer in 2018.
• Major tea-producing states: Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. 

Coffee 

• Indian coffee is popular for its high quality and demand all over the world.
• The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country.
• Worldwide , there is a high demand for this coffee.
• Its introduction to agriculture began in the Baba Budan Hills (Karnataka).
• Major coffee-producing states: Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

Horticulture Crops

• It consists of the cultivation of fruits and vegetables.
• After China, India was the world's second-largest producer of fruits and vegetables in 2018. 
• India produce s both temperate and tropical fruits .
• Mangoes - Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
• Oranges - Nagpur and Cherranpunji
• Banana - Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu
•   Lichi and Guava - Uttar Pradesh and Bihar 
• Pineaaples - Meghalaya
• Apples and walnut - Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir
• India is a significant producer of peas, potatoes, cauliflower, onions, cabbage, tomatoes, and brinjal.