Types of Crops in India

Agriculture plays a vital role in the Indian economy. It includes farming of crops, animal husbandry and other farming methods etc. About 60 percent of the people of india primarily depend on agriculture. The types of crops farming in india can be divided into four main categories depending on their usage. The four main categories are Food Crops, Cash Crops, Plantation Crops and Horticulture Crops.

1. Food Crops

Crops grown to feed humanity are known as food crops. There are many food crops cultivated in the country. Wheat, Rice, Maize, Millets, Pulses, Cereals etc are some of the food crops cultivated in India.

Cereals - Wheat, barley, rice and oats were the first grains cultivated by man. Cereal cultivation, which began in the West Asian regions, later spread to European regions, Egypt and the Indus Valley. The use of ploughs and wheeled carts for ploughing the land was learned by the Indus Valley people from the Sumerians. The main cereal crops cultivated in India are paddy, wheat, maize, millet, oats, barley, rye, bajra, millet, sorghum, chama and Horsetail.

Pulses - After cereals, pulses are the next most important crop used by humans for food. They are a source of protein. Most plants have root nodules on their roots. These nodules contain bacteria called rhizobium. The presence of these bacteria causes the formation of nodules on the roots of leguminous plants. These bacteria absorb atmospheric nitrogen and add it to the soil. Thus, pulses are cultivated to enrich the soil with low fertility. This practice is also prevalent in Kerala. All pulses are members of the Fabaceae (Papilionaceae) plant family. The main pulses cultivated in India are cowpea, broad bean, chickpea, soybean, gram, green bean etc. 

2. Cash Crops

A cash crop is a crop grown for sale in the market for profit. Most of the crops grown around the world today are cash crops grown for sale in national and international markets. Well-known cash crops include Spices, Cotton, Sugarcane, Jute, Tobacco, Tea, Coffee, Coconut, Sugarcane, Cashew, etc.

Spices - Kerala is the largest producer of spices in India. The major spice crops in Kerala are cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, castor, ginger, turmeric, and vanilla. Other spices include cardamom, star anise, black cumin, castor oil, couscous, sesame, carom seeds, saffron, garlic, fenugreek/fenugreek leaves, basil, mint leaves, neem/curry leaves, coriander/cilantro, turmeric, cloves, gooseberries, tamarind, asafoetida, cumin, and chilies.

Oil Seeds - The major oilseed crops in India are cassava, groundnut, sesame, sunflower, mustard, oil palm, castor etc. Oil is produced by drying coconuts and making copra. Copra contains 65-72 percent oil. It takes 6000 coconuts to produce one ton of copra. Oil is produced from groundnuts. Another oilseed, sesame, contains 40-50 percent oil. Mustard contains 25-35 percent edible oil. Sunflower seeds contain 48-53 percent edible oil. Oil is extracted from the pulp of the oil palm fruit and the kernel of the seed. Palm oil, an edible oil, is extracted from the pulp. The oil extracted from the seeds is used for making soap and other purposes.

3. Plantation Crops

Plantation is the large scale agricultural unit usually for the cultivation of a single crop. They are grown to cater to the needs of the market. Plantation crops help in conserving the soil and ecosystem. The important plantation crops are Rubber, Coconut, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa, Sugarcane, Bananas, Coconut, Oil Palm etc.

Beverage Crops - Cocoa, coffee, and tea are the major beverage crops in India. The most important use of cocoa is in the production of chocolate. Cocoa beans need to be fermented for two to ten days to develop their attractive chocolate aroma. Coffee and tea are the most popular beverage crops in India. South India is the center of coffee cultivation in India; especially the southern Indian hills. The tea plant is native to Asia. Assam accounts for 52 percent of India's tea production.

4. Horticulture Crops

Horticulture is the branch of plant agriculture that deals with garden crops, generally fruits, vegetables, aromatic plants, medicinal plants and ornamental plants. The important horticulture crops cultivated in India are Fruits, Vegetables and Tuber Crops.

Vegetables - Vegetables are parts of plants that are used by humans and other animals as food. Vegetable usually refers to the fresh edible portions of certain herbaceous plants. The fresh edible portions may be leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, stems or fruit. The major vegetables grown in India include spinach, okra, bitter gourd, pumpkin, cucumber, bottle gourd, ash gourd, brinjal, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, chilli, carrot, beetroot, radish, snow peas, yam and onion.

Fruits - 'Pomology' is the comprehensive study of fruits. Ethylene is a plant hormone that helps fruits ripen. Calcium carbide is a chemical used to artificially ripen fruits. Fructose is the abundant sugar in fruits. The largest fruit is known as jackfruit. The scientific name of jackfruit is Artiocarpus heterophyllus. The national fruit of India is mango. The national fruit of Bangladesh is jackfruit. The most widely consumed fruit in the world is banana. India is the largest producer of bananas. Fruits cultivated in India includes sugar beet, banana, gooseberry, mandarin orange, guava, lime, papaya, pineapple, custard apple, plantain, mango, apple, zapota, plum, watermelon etc.

Tuber Crops - They are the main food source for about 400 million people living in tropical regions. After cereals and pulses, they are the main food source of humans. They can grow in different climates and soils and have higher yields and energy than cereal crops. cassava, sweet potato, sorghum, yam, kurka, arrowroot and potato are the main tuberous crops.