RABI CROPS
1. Context
Conditions this winter have so far been ideal for wheat, but not that good for mustard. It is comforting that rice stocks are currently adequate and global wheat prices are low.2021-22 was the Year of Climate Change for Indian agriculture. Every single month from September 2021 to January 2022 recorded excess rain, which significantly damaged the post-monsoon kharif crop at the time of harvesting.
2. Rabi Crops
- Rabi crops are also known as Winter crops. They grow during the winter season which starts in October and March. The Arabic term ‘Rabi’ denotes spring. hence, the harvesting time for Rabi crops begins during the Spring season. Unlike Kharif crops, Rabi crops require less water to grow.
- Therefore, they can easily grow with the help of routine water irrigation to flourish. Types of Rabi crops include Wheat, Barley, Pulses, Gram, and more.
- Moreover, farmers also sow seeds of Mustard, Cumin, Sunflower, Rapeseed, and more during this season.
- Some of examples of rabi crops grown in India are wheat, mustard, barley, green peas, sunflower, coriander, cumin, etc.
3. How the different Seasons effects the Rabi crop?
- The majority of field crops rely solely on the weather to provide life-sustaining water and energy. The comfort and food supplies of livestock are also dependent on the weather. Adverse weather conditions can occasionally result in productivity losses, especially if they occur during vital stages of growth.
- Due to the general warmer spring environment, farmers can sow the first crop (winter barley) earlier than usual, allowing them to produce the second crop (rapeseed) for the remainder of the growing season, improving soil fertility and income.
- The availability of water and fertile soil (soil deposition is driven by water transportation) is another limiting element of cropland growth in the area, therefore agricultural expansion and intensification are currently confined to a specific distance from main river systems.
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Source: Food Corporation of India4. Changing monsoon
- 2022-23 has been quite different. Rainfall was 37.4% below the all-India average in November, with the corresponding deficits at 14.5% for December and 57.5% during January 1-22.
- The shortfalls have been greater in northern, central, and western India, where much of the rabi winter-spring crops — especially wheat, mustard, chana (chickpea), and masur (red lentil), as also maize, potato and onion — are grown.
- The India Meteorological Department has forecast “scattered to fairly widespread rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm activity” over Punjab, Haryana, Delhiand Uttar Pradesh during January 24-26, besides “light isolated” rain over north Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
- A fresh western disturbance is expected to bring more rain over northwest India from January 27.
5. How This Changing Monsoon will impact the Rabi Crops?
- Farmers have sown wheat on 341.13 lakh hectares (lh) this time, as against 339.87 lh in 2021-22, and a normal area of 304.47 lh.
- That should ordinarily translate into bumper production -required particularly in the context of annual retail cereal inflation hitting 13.79% in December and wheat stocks in government warehouses on January 1 at a six-year-low.
- But given that harvesting is more than two months away and knowing the havoc untimely heavy rain and hailstorms (as in March 2015) or early onset of summer (March 2022) can wreak making any output predictions based on crop acreages is fraught with risk.
6. Major Rabi crop- Wheat
- A large amount of agricultural income for India comes through the production of wheat. India is the second-largest producer of this wheat crop in the world.
- Wheat requires low temperatures to grow, thus winter is the suitable season for farming this Rabi crop. The ideal temperature range should be around 140 to 180 C with a rainfall of 50 cm to 90cms. The crop is harvested in spring when the temperature is slightly warm.
- In India, Uttar Pradesh is the largest wheat-producing state which is closely followed by Punjab and Haryana.
- Wheat crops are typically planted from September to December in various Indian states, depending on the environment, and harvested from February to May, again depending on the climate and the time of seeding. Wheat has become a successful crop thanks to technological improvements in soil preparation and seed placement at planting time, crop rotation and fertilizer use to increase plant growth, and advances in harvesting processes.
For Prelims & Mains
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For Prelims: Rabi Crops, Kharif Crops, Indian Meterological Department (IMD), rabi crops grown in India are wheat, mustard, barley, green peas, sunflower, coriander, cumin. For Mains: 1. What are the major reasons for declining rice and wheat yield in the cropping system? How crop diversification is helpful to stabilize the yield of the crop in the system? |
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Previous Year Questions
1. With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements:(UPSC CSE 2019)
1. Area under rice cultivation is the highest.
2. Area under the cultivation of jowar is more than that of oilseeds.
3. Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.
4. Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
A.1 and 3 only
B.2, 3 and 4 only
C.2 and 4 only
D.1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer (A)
2.Consider the following crops: (UPSC CSE 2013 )
1. Cotton 2. Groundnut 3. Rice 4. Wheat Which of these are Kharif crops? A.1 and 4
B.2 and 3 only
C.1, 2 and 3
D.2, 3 and 4
Answer (C)
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Source: The Indian Express
