Agriculture and Crops
Agriculture and Crops
Agriculture in Jharkhand is rain-dependent, largely single-cropped and dominated by paddy. Net sown area is roughly a third of the state, irrigation coverage is low, and the plateau's thin soil keeps yields below the national average.
Net sown area — about 25 to 26 lakh hectares | Main crop — paddy | Main constraint — low irrigation
Basic features
- Farming is mainly rain-fed and concentrated in the kharif season
- Most land is single-cropped, which is the state's biggest agricultural weakness
- Net sown area is about 25 to 26 lakh hectares
- Holdings are small and fragmented, limiting mechanisation
- Upland tanr fields carry coarse cereals; lowland don fields carry paddy
- Normal annual rainfall of about 1,300 mm is adequate but poorly retained
Main crops
| Season | Crops | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | Paddy, maize, arhar, urad, moong, groundnut | Dominant season; paddy leads by far |
| Rabi | Wheat, gram, mustard, lentil, potato | Limited by weak irrigation |
| Zaid and vegetables | Vegetables near towns and rivers | Cash crop with rising importance |
| Plantation type | Mango, litchi, guava, cashew | Horticulture is a state priority |
Why yields stay low
- Low irrigation leaves most fields dependent on a single monsoon
- Red and lateritic soils are poor in nitrogen and humus
- Rapid runoff on the plateau removes both water and topsoil
- Small, scattered holdings limit investment in inputs
- Weak market linkage means farmers sell at low farmgate prices
- Late or weak monsoon directly translates into crop failure
What is being done
- Watershed development, check dams and lift irrigation to raise irrigated area
- Promotion of horticulture and vegetables as higher-value alternatives
- Seed distribution and soil health measures through the agriculture department
- Support for lac, tasar and honey as allied farm income
- Farm ponds and dobha construction under state and central schemes
- Crop diversification away from paddy on upland fields
Points that get asked
- Main crop of the state — paddyबार-बार पूछा जाता है
- Main season — kharif
- Upland field — tanr; lowland field — don
- Biggest constraint — low irrigation and single cropping
- Agro-climatic zones of the state — three
Land use of the state
| Category | Broad picture |
|---|---|
| Net sown area | About a third of the state |
| Forest | About 29.81 percent of the state |
| Barren and uncultivable land | Substantial, because of rock outcrop and mining |
| Fallow land | Large, since uplands are cropped only in good years |
| Area sown more than once | Small, reflecting weak irrigation |
डोभा (Dobha) छोटा खेत-तालाब है जो वर्षा जल रोकने और रबी की सिंचाई के लिए झारखंड में बनाया जाता है। यह राज्य की जल संचयन नीति का प्रमुख हिस्सा है।
Memory hook — Ek fasal, ek mausam, ek samasya — Dhaan, Kharif, Sinchai ki kami. Teen shabd me poori krishi. Aur do khet — Tanr upar, Don neeche.
Yahan confuse hote hain — Adhik varsha aur achhi sinchai ek nahi hain.
✗ Rainfall of 1,300 mm means irrigation is not needed | ✓ Water runs off the plateau fast, so irrigation cover stays low
✗ Tanr me dhaan hota hai | ✓ Dhaan don me hota hai; tanr me mote anaj aur dalhan
Exam pointer — JPSC Mains me krishi ki samasyaon par poora prashn banta hai — uttar me sinchai, mrida aur ek-fasli kheti teenon likho. JSSC CGL, JKCE aur JTET me seedha — mukhya fasal kaunsi, tanr-don kya hain. Aankdon ki gehrai me mat jao, structure yaad rakho.
Ek nazar me
- Farming is rain-fed and largely single-cropped
- Net sown area — about 25 to 26 lakh hectares
- Main crop — paddy; main season — kharif
- Kharif crops — paddy, maize, arhar, urad, groundnut
- Rabi crops — wheat, gram, mustard, potato
- Upland tanr, lowland don
- Rainfall about 1,300 mm but poorly retained
- Soils are low in nitrogen and humus
- Remedies — watershed work, dobha, lift irrigation
- Horticulture and lac and tasar add allied income