Major crops in India -Food processing.pptx

Major food crops in India

1. Major Crops in India

2. Introduction A crop is any cultivated plant, fungus, or alga that is harvested for food, clothing, live stock fodder, biofuel medicine, or other uses. India is the top producer of many crops in the world A variety of food and non-food crops are grown in different parts of our country. Major crops include sugarcane, pumpkin, maize (corn), wheat, rice, cassava, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton

3. Crop Seasons in India The Kharif Season Crops are sown at the beginning of south- west monsoon and harvested at the end of the south-west monsoon. Sowing Season: May to July. Harvesting Season : September to October. Important Crops: Jowar , Bajra , Rice, Maize, Cotton, Groundnut, Jute, Hemp, Tobacco etc. 2. The Rabi Season Crops need cool climate during growth period but warm climate during the germination of seed and maturation. Sowing Season: October to December Harvesting Season: February to April Important Crops: Wheat, Barley, Gram, Linseed, Mustard, Masoor & Peas.

4. Conti… 3. The Zaid Season These Crops are raised throughout the year due to artificial irrigation. Sowing Season: August to September Harvesting Season: December-January Important Crops: Rice, Jowar , Rapeseed, Cotton, Oilseeds

5. Categories of Crops in India The major crops in India is divided in two categories Food grains (Rice, Wheat, Maize, Millets and Pulses), Cash Crops (Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tobacco, and Oilseeds), Plantation Crops (Tea, Coffee, Coconut and, Rubber) and Horticulture crops such as Fruits and Vegetables.

6. Rice India is the 2nd largest producer of rice in the world known as paddy fields and require to be flooded with 10-12 cm deep water in the early stages It is type of Crop: Kharif , Rabi Varieties of rice Aman , Sali , Afghani, Aus, Boro , Palua Temperature that suitable for rice irrigation is 24 °C and rainfall Is 150 cm Major Producers are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Haryana.

7. Wheat It is the 2nd most important food crop in India. India stands second in production of wheat worldwide It is a Rabi crop. Varieties of Wheat are Kalyan Sona , Sonalika , Heera . For rice irrigation temperature suitable 17-20 °C and rainfall: 20-100 cm Major Producers are Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Uttarakhand .

8. Pulses  India is the world's largest producer of pulses Most pulses are leguminous crops and provide proteins to the vegetarian population.    Major pulses of India include Gram, T ur or arhar  (Pigeon Pea or Red Gram),   urd  (black gram),   mung  ( greengram ),  masur  (lentil),  ku-lthi  (horse gram),  matar  (peas) etc.  But among these above mentioned varieties only gram and  tur or arhar  are more important pulses.

9. Sugarcane Sugarcane is an important cash crop. India stands at 2nd position among all countries in the world in its production It is type of Crop is Kharif , Rabi. Temperature needed for its cultivation 20-26 °C and rainfall: 75-150 cm Major Producers are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Punjab.

10. Tea Tea is a labour intensive crop and 50% of the laborers are women India is the 2nd largest producer and the largest consumer of tea in the world It grows faster under light shade Temperature needed for Tea is 20-30 °C and rainfall: 150-300 cm Major Producers are Assam, Darjeeling (West Bengal), Meghalaya, Kerala, Himachal Pradesh,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka.

11. Coffee Coffees are grown in shade and commonly with two tiers of shade Varieties of Coffee are Arabica (premier coffee) and Robusta (lower quality) The temperature suitable for coffee is 16-28°C and rainfall: 150-250 cm Major Producers are Karnataka,Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana , Odisha , Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland

12. Maize It is a rabi crop Sown a few weeks before the onset of winter rainy season in Sept. and Oct. It requires 50-100 cm of rainfall It cannot be grown in areas of more than 100 cm rainfall. More than half the maize of India is produced in four states of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Rajasthan. Madhya Pradesh is the largest producer of maize in India.This state contributed over 14 per cent of maize from about 13.5 per cent of maize area of the country

13. Cotton Cotton is a tropical and subtropical Kharif crop. It is a fiber crop and is known as ‘White gold’. India ranks 3rd in the production of cotton worldwide The varieties of cottons are Long Staple, Medium Staple, Short Staple. For Cotton irrigation temperature suitable that is 21-30 °C and rainfall is 50- 100 cm Major Producers are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Karnataka,TamilNadu , Orissa.

14. Jute It is one of the most important natural fibres in terms of cultivation and usage. Almost 85% of the world’s jute is cultivated in the Ganges Delta. It is type of Crop is Zaid . The varieties of Jute areWhite Jute,Tossa Jute. Temperature needed to this crop is 24-35 °C and annual Rainfall: 125-200 cm. Major Producers areWest Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Meghalaya, Nagaland,Tripura and Uttar Pradesh.

15. Silk Silkworm is domesticated over thousands of years and the sole food for the growth of silkworm is mulberry leaf. The silkworm is fed on mulberry leaves, or on the leaves of castor plant and it produces cocoons, which when boiled, give the silk thread Under ideal conditions silkworm completes cocoon formation in 24-28 days from the day of hatching In India, silk is produced in Karnataka,West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Kashmi

16. Rubber Rubber is used for a variety of purposes from erasing pencil marks to manufacturing of tyres , tubes and a large number of industrial products. It requires hot and humid climate with temperature of 25°-35°C and annual rainfall of over 200 cm. Rubber is grown in Kerala,Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Meghalaya India is the third largest natural rubber producing country of the world, next toThailand and Indonesia

17. Importance People depend on a wide range of agricultural products in almost all aspects of life, e.g , nutrition is a key determinant of human health provider of energy-fuel-wood and medicinal plants Fiber Agriculture is key to a healthy biosphere. Agriculture is a key economic driver. It is central to: Individual livelihoods Poverty alleviation Nation ’ s economic growth, e.g., agriculture contributes between 40 and 60% of the GDP of many countries.

18. Storage of crop grains Across the tropics and subtropics more than half of the population lives in rural areas. Most of these people depend solely on farming for their livelihoods. Nowadays, few farmers can be regarded as living truly at subsistence level, i.e. producing only enough food for their families and for seed. Most farmers now produce at least a small surplus for sale; the money obtained being used to improve their standard of living. The level of income depends not only on the quantity of crop sold but also on its quality. Hence, it is essential that farmers keep their crops in the best possible condition until they are sold.

19. Method of Storing Food Grains Storage of produce is an equally important task as harvesting because if the produce is not stored properly using appropriate measures it may get spoilt or attacked by insects or rats or micro organisms. Farmers with large holdings of land have to store very large quantities of harvested crop. Thus these farmers particularly have to be aware about the common storage precautions.

20. Conti… Mature grains, nuts, roots, and tubers have a period after harvest when they do not sprout and can easily be stored with the simplest of technologies and protective structures. More perishable foods (meat, fruits, and vegetables) were sliced into thin sections and dried or smoked, or pickled in brine. Some of these techniques, such as sun drying , smoking and pickling are still used today. Another method for storage is canning. Canned food has a very long storage life, especially when stored under low temperatures. Like canning, many storage technologies such as fermentation can also be used .

21. Conti… Large scale storage of grains are done in granaries or silos Neem is used for storage of grains as a pesticide. SimilarlyWalnut , Bhera and Mint leaves also possess certain antimicrobial or pesticidal properties, which help in grain storage.The turmeric powder also appears to perform a similar function. The freshly harvested crop contains a lot of moisture. Therefore the crop should be dried before storing to prevent them from being attacked by micro organisms. They are dried either in the traditional way or by a machine called seed drier.

22. Conti… Grains can also be stored in jute bags or metallic bins. Metal storage bins are made from smooth or corrugated galvanized metal sheets. Most bins used for small-scale storage . The bin usually has a filling hatch through which grains are loaded and an emptying spout through which they can be emptied . Metal bins can provide maximum protection and security if padlocks are fitted to the filling hatch and emptying spout.

23. Conti… The process of fumigation is also done before storage. It kills insects living inside the grains with the help of phosphine gas. Small-scale fumigation can be carried out under gas-tight covers such as thick polythene sheets, or in containers that can be easily sealed. Grains are also sprayed with insecticides or pesticides before storage to prevent insect or pest attacks.