A History of Agriculture in India v1.c9.s2: Agricultural Regions

A History of Agriculture in India v1.c9.s2

Language: English

v1.c9.s2.t1 I. The Temperate Himalayan Region — 3 parts
v1.c9.s2.t2 II. The Dry Northern Wheat Region — 1 part
v1.c9.s2.t3 III. The Eastern Rice Region — 1 part
v1.c9.s2.t4 IV. The Malabar Coconut Region — 1 part
v1.c9.s2.t5 V. The Southern Millet Region — 1 part

Agricultural Regions

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The following agricultural regions are defined on the basis of climate, crops and stock animals:

I. The Temperate Himalayan Region

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The Temperate Himalayan region may be divided into two subdivisions:

1. *The Eastern Himalayan Region*: This region includes Mishmi Hills in upper Assam, Sikkim, Bhutan and Nepal. Rainfall is heavy in the outer ranges and there are thick forests of *sal*. This is mainly a tea-growing area. Cultivation of rice is done in some places. Forests are the main source of wealth in this subregion.

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2. *The Western Himalayan Region*: This region includes Kumaon, Garhwal, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. As compared with the eastern Himalayas, the climate is dry. In the northern parts, there is more of winter rainfall, and the climate is almost of the Mediterranean type. Horticulture, particularly the growing of apples, almonds, cherries, apricots, peaches, pears and plums, occupies a prominent place in the agricultural economy of this region. Other cultivated crops are potato, wheat, maize and rice. Goats and sheep are the principal domestic animals. Diminutive black cattle provide milk as well as draught.

II. The Dry Northern Wheat Region

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This region comprises the Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, western Madhya Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan. The annual rainfall is less than 760 millimetres, and in many places less than 200 millimetres. The soil is alluvial, having been deposited by a large number of rivers in geological times. Wheat, barley, gram, maize and cotton are the chief crops. Cattle are mainly of the Hariana breed. Buffaloes are of the Murrah breed. They give a high milk yield. Camels are exclusively found in this region.

III. The Eastern Rice Region

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This region comprises Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, eastern Madhya Pradesh, eastern Uttar Pradesh and parts of Andhra Pradesh. The soil is mainly alluvial. The annual rainfall of the region is over 1,500 millimetres. The main crops are rice, jute, sugarcane and tea. Buffalo is the favourite domestic animal. Male buffaloes are used for ploughing in preference to bullocks. The milk yield of buffaloes and cows is low.

IV. The Malabar Coconut Region

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This region comprises Kerala, the Western Coast strip, Karnataka and the adjoining areas. The annual rainfall of the region is over 2,280 millimetres. The soil is lateritic. This region is important from the point of view of plantation crops, e.g. coffee and rubber. However, the predominant crop is coconut. Other important crops are tapioca, black pepper and cardamom. Rice is the main food crop. Cattle are of poor quality.

V. The Southern Millet Region

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This region comprises the Jhansi Division in southern Uttar Pradesh, central Madhya Pradesh, western Andhra Pradesh, western Tamil Nadu, eastern Maharashtra and parts of Karnataka. The rainfall of the region is 500-1,000 millimetres. The soil is partly black cotton and partly lateritic. Sorghum, pearl-millet, cotton and groundnut are the chief crops. The principal animals are sheep. The cattle give a poor milk yield.