Page |1

Agriculture in India
The history of Agriculture in India dates back to Indus Valley Civilization Era
and even before that in some parts of Southern India. Today,
India ranks second worldwide in farm outputs. agriculture and allied sectors
like forestry and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP (gross domestic
product) in 2013, about 50% of the workforce. The economic contribution of
agriculture to India's GDP is steadily declining with the country's broad-based
economic growth. Still, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic
sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India.
India exported $38 billion worth of agricultural products in 2013, making it
the seventh largest agricultural exporter worldwide and the sixth largest net
exporter. Most of its agriculture exports serve developing and least developed
nations. Indian agricultural/horticultural and processed foods are exported to
more than 120 countries, primarily in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, SAARC
countries, the EU and the United States.
Farming Systems in India are strategically utilised, according to the locations
where they are most suitable. The farming systems that significantly
contribute to the agriculture of India are subsistence farming, organic
farming, industrial farming. Regions throughout India differ in types of
farming they use; some are based on horticulture, ley farming, agroforestry,
and many more. Due to India's geographical location, certain parts experience
different climates, thus affecting each region's agricultural productivity
differently. India is very dependent on its monsoon cycle for large crop yields.
India's agriculture has an extensive background which goes back to at least 10
thousand years. Currently the country holds the second position in
agricultural production in the world. In 2007, agriculture and other industries
made up more than 16% of India's GDP. Despite the steady decline in
agriculture's contribution to the country's GDP, agriculture is the biggest
industry in the country and plays a key role in the socioeconomic growth of
the country. India is the second biggest producer of wheat, rice,
cotton, sugarcane, silk, groundnuts, and dozens more. It is also the second
biggest harvester of vegetables and fruit, representing 8.6% and 10.9% of
overall production, respectively. The major fruits produced by India
are mangoes, papayas, sapota, and bananas. India also has the biggest number
of livestock in the world, holding 281 million. In 2008, the country housed the
second largest number of cattle in the world with 175 million.

Subsistence farming
Subsistence farming, form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or
livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer’s family,
 Page |2

leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural

peoples throughout the world have traditionally practiced subsistence
farming. Some of these peoples moved from site to site as they exhausted the
soil at each location. As urban centres grew, agricultural production became
more specialized and commercial farming developed, with farmers producing
a sizable surplus of certain crops, which they traded for manufactured goods
or sold for cash.
Subsistence farming persists today on a relatively wide scale in various areas
of the world, including large parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Subsistence farms
usually consist of no more than a few acres, and farm technology tends to be
primitive and of low yield.

1. Primitive or Simple Subsistence Farming:

Primitive farming is the oldest form of agriculture and still prevalent in some
areas of the world. From primitive gathering, some people have taken a step
‘upward’ on the economic ladder by learning the art of domesticating plants
and their economy has moved into primitive cultivation.

2. Intensive Subsistence Farming:

The term, ‘intensive subsistence agriculture’ is used to describe a type of

agriculture characterised by high output per unit of land and relatively low
output per worker. Although the nature of this agriculture has changed and in
many areas now it is no more subsistence.
But despite changes the term ‘intensive subsistence’ is still used today to
describe those agricultural systems which are clearly more sophisticated than
the primitive agriculture. Sometimes it is also known as ‘monsoon type of
agriculture’.

Commercial agriculture
In a commercial based agriculture, crops are raised in large
scale plantations or estates and shipped off to other countries for money.
These systems are common in sparsely populated areas such as Gujarat, Tamil
Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra. Wheat, cotton, sugarcane, and corn
are all examples of crops grown commercially.

Types of commercial agriculture

Intensive commercial farming: This is a system of agriculture in which

relatively large amounts of capital or labor are applied to relatively smaller
areas of land. It is usually practiced where the population pressure is reducing
the size of landholdings. West Bengal practices intensive commercial farming.
 Page |3

Extensive commercial farming: This is a system of agriculture in which

relatively small amounts of capital or labor investment are applied to
relatively large areas of land. At times, the land is left fallow to regain its
fertility. It is mostly mechanized because of the cost and availability of labor. It
usually occurs at the margin of the agricultural system, at a great distance
from market or on poor land of limited potential and is usually practiced in
the tarai regions of southern Nepal. Crops grown are sugarcane, rice and
wheat.
Plantation agriculture: Plantation is a large farm or estate usually in a
tropical or sub-tropical country where crops are grown for sale in distant
markets rather than local consumption.
Commercial grain farming: This type of farming is a response to farm
mechanization and it is the major type of activity in the areas of low rainfall
and low density of population where extensive farming is practiced. Crops are
prone to the vagaries of weather and droughts and mono culture of wheat is
the general practice.

Geographical conditions for farming

The Geo-Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a particular area.

Weather is the state of the atmosphere over short periods of time. Weather
can change from hour to hour, day to day, month to month or even year to
year. A region’s weather patterns, tracked for more than 30 years, are
considered its climate. Here, we are giving the list of Major Crops and required
Geo-climatic condition across the world which will be helpful for the entire
preparation journey of aspirants.

List of Major Crops and required Geo-climatic condition in India & across
the world

1. Rice
Temperature: 15°-27° C
Rainfall: 100- 150 cm
Soil: Heavy-clayey to-clayey-loam
Producers: China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar,
Vietnam, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka
Leading exporter in the world: Thailand

2. Wheat
Temperature: 12°-25°C
Rainfall: 25-75 cm
Soil: well-drained-light clay to heavy clay
Producers: China, India, USA, Russia, Australia, Canada, Pakistan, France, and
Turkey.
Leading exporter in the world: USA
 Page |4

3. Maize
Temperature: 15°-27°C
Rainfall: 65-125 cm
Soil: Deep-heavy clay to light sandy loam
Producers: USA, China, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Romania, India, and South
Africa.
Leading exporter in the world: USA
List of Worldwide Hot Spots Region
4. Millets
Temperature: 20°-35°C
Rainfall: 25-75 cm
Soil: Sandy-loam to clayey loam
Producers: China, USA, India, Nigeria, Ukraine, Thailand, Russia, and Turkey.
Leading exporter in the world: USA
5. Bajra (Pearl Millet)
Temperature: 25°-35°C
Rainfall: 25-60 cm
Soil: Sandy loam to loam
Producers: In India: Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh.
6. Pulses (Kharif)
Temperature: 20° -27°C
Rainfall: 25-60 cm
Soil: Sandy-loam Producers: In India: Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar
Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil
Nadu, West Bengal
List of Famous Local Winds of the World
7. Lentil (Rabi)
Temperature: 15° to 25°C
Rainfall: 25 to 50 cm
Soil: Loamy to clayey loam
Producers: Mediterranean countries of Europe, Egypt, Greece, Turkey, China,
India: (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and West Bengal
8. Oilseeds
Temperature: 15°-30°C
Rainfall: 30-50 cm
Soil: loam to clayey loam
Producers: In India: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab,
Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttarakhand.
9. Groundnut
Temperature: 20°-30°C
Rainfall: 50-75 cm
Soil: well-drained-sandy loams, red and black cotton
Producers: India, China, USA, Sudan, Senegal, Indonesia, Argentina, Myanmar.
Leading exporter in the world: USA
 Page |5

List of Major Fishing Grounds of the World

10. Sugarcane
Temperature: 20°-35°C
Rainfall: 85-165 cm
Soil: Well-drained alluvium, black, red and brown rigor soil
Producers: Brazil, India, China, Pakistan, Thailand, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia.
Leading exporter: Brazil
11. Sugar beet
Temperature: 10°-25°C
Rainfall: 25-50 cm
Soil: Well-drained-loamy soil Producers: France, USA, Germany, Russia,
China, Ukraine, Poland, Turkey, Leading exporter in the world: France
12. Cotton
Temperature: 18°-27°C
Rainfall: 60-110 cm
Soil: well-drained loam, and rigor (black-earth)
Producers: China, USA, India, Brazil, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Turkey.
Leading exporter in the world: USA
Interesting Facts on Coral Reefs and Atolls
13. Tea
Temperature: 15° -35°C
Rainfall: 100-250 cm
Soil: well-drained, light loamy Soil Producers: India, China, Sri-Lanka, Kenya,
Indonesia, Bangladesh, Turkey.
Leading exporter in the world: India.
14. Coffee
Temperature: 15°-28°C
Rainfall: 125-225 cm
Soil: well-drained alluvial Soil Producers: Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia,
Vietnam, Ivory-Coast, Mexico, Ghana, Cameroon, India.
Leading exporter in the world: Brazil
15. Cocoa
Temperature: 18°-35°C
Rainfall: 100-250 cm
Soil: well-drained alluvium
Producers: Ivory-Coast, Ghana, Indonesia, Brazil, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ecuador,
Costa-Rica.
Leading exporter in the world: Ivory-Coast
List of Major Mountain Ranges of the World
16. Rubber
Temperature: 27°C
Rainfall: 150-250 cm
Soil: rich-well-drained alluvial Soil
Producers: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, China, Sri-Lanka, Liberia,
Brazil.
 Page |6

Leading exporter in the world: Thailand.

17. Jute
Temperature: 25°-35°C
Rainfall: about 150-250 cm
Soil: Well drained alluvial Soil
Producers: Bangladesh, India, China, Thailand, Myanmar, Brazil and Nepal.
Leading exporter: Bangladesh
18. Flax
Temperature: 10°-20°C
Rainfall: 15-20 cm
Soil: Rich loam or clayey loam
Producers: In India: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Jammu Division
of J & K
19. Coconut
Temperature: 27°C
Rainfall: 100-250 cm, up-to 600 m above the sea level
Soil: lateritic red, sandy alluvial sandy
Producers: In India: Kerala (55%), Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka,
Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra.
20. Oil-palm
Temperature: 27°-33°C (maximum), 22°-24°C (minimum)
Rainfall: 250-400 cm well distributed in the year
Soil: Deep-loamy and alluvial soil
Producers: India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, Gujarat, Goa, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and West Bengal
21. Clove
Temperature: 25°-35°C
Rainfall: 200- 250 cm
Soil: Red alluvial Soil
Producers: In India: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar
List of Major Rivers of the World
22. Black Pepper
Temperature: 15°C to 40°C
Rainfall: 200-300'cm. Height up-to 1500 m above sea level
Soil: rich in hums, red-loam to sandy loam, and red lateritic sandy loam
Producers: In India: Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar
Islands and Pondicherry
23. Cardamom
Temperature: 10°-35°C
Rainfall: 150-400 cm, height 600-1500 m
Soil: well-drained lateritic
Producers: In India: Kerala (60%), Karnataka (30%), and Tamil Nadu (10 %).
24. Turmeric
Temperature: 20°-30°C
Rainfall: 150-250 cm
 Page |7

Soil: well-drained clayey loam or red loamy soil

Producers: In India: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Tamil Nadu,
and West Bengal.

The climatic zones can be grouped into the following types: Tropical;
Monsoon; Dry; Warm; Cool; Cold. In the above list of Major Crops and
required Geo-climatic condition across the world gives a quick recap of the
major crops which are grown in different climatic conditions.

Climate, Soil & Vegetation in India

The climatic zones can be grouped into the following types: Tropical;
Monsoon; Dry; Warm; Cool; Cold. In the above list of Major Crops and
required Geo-climatic condition across the world gives a quick recap of the
major crops which are grown in different climatic conditions.

SOIL

Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and
countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things. It
forms at the surface of land – it is the “skin of the earth.” Soil is capable of
supporting plant life and is vital to life on earth.

Soil, as formally defined in the Soil Science Society of America Glossary of Soil
Science Terms, is:

1. The unconsolidated mineral or organic material on the immediate

surface of the earth that serves as a natural medium for the growth of land
plants.
2. The unconsolidated mineral or organic matter on the surface of the
earth that has been subjected to and shows effects of genetic and
environmental factors of: climate (including water and temperature
effects), and macro- and microorganisms, conditioned by relief, acting on
parent material over a period of time.

So then, what is dirt? Dirt is what gets on our clothes or under our fingernails.
It is soil that is out of place in our world – whether tracked inside by shoes or
on our clothes. Dirt is also soil that has lost the characteristics that give it the
ability to support life – it is “dead.”

Soil performs many critical functions in almost any ecosystem (whether a

farm, forest, prairie, marsh, or suburban watershed). There are seven general
roles that soils play:

1. Soils serve as media for growth of all kinds of plants.

2. Soils modify the atmosphere by emitting and absorbing gases (carbon
dioxide, methane, water vapor, and the like) and dust.
 Page |8

3. Soils provide habitat for animals that live in the soil (such as
groundhogs and mice) to organisms (such as bacteria and fungi), that
account for most of the living things on Earth.
4. Soils absorb, hold, release, alter, and purify most of the water in
terrestrial systems.
5. Soils process recycled nutrients, including carbon, so that living things
can use them over and over again.
6. Soils serve as engineering media for construction of foundations,
roadbeds, dams and buildings, and preserve or destroy artifacts of
human endeavors.
7. Soils act as a living filter to clean water before it moves into an aquifer.

Topography
Topography is the study of the shape and features of the surface of
the Earth and other observable astronomical objects including planets, moons,
and asteroids. The topography of an area could refer to the surface shapes and
features themselves, or a description (especially their depiction in maps).
This field of geoscience and planetary science is concerned with local detail in
general, including not only relief but also natural and artificial features, and
even local history and culture. This meaning is less common in the United
States, where topographic maps with elevation contours have made
"topography" synonymous with relief.
Topography in a narrow sense involves the recording of relief or terrain, the
three-dimensional quality of the surface, and the identification of
specific landforms. This is also known as geomorphometry. In modern usage,
this involves generation of elevation data in digital form (DEM). It is often
considered to include the graphic representation of the landform on a map by
a variety of techniques, including contour lines, hypsometric tints, and relief
shading.

Food crops
The term "food crops" refers to the world's major food supply derived from
plants; a crop assumes human intervention through agriculture. In the main,
food crops consist of grains, legumes (including dried beans), seeds and nuts,
vegetables, fruit, herbs and spices, beverage plants such as tea and coffee, and
so forth.
Some foods, like sea vegetables, are food crops in terms of gathering rather
than deliberate agriculture, although undoubtedly the best sources of such
foods are well cared for resources in terms of laws to prevent over-
harvesting, polluting, and licensing access.
 Page |9

Beverage crop
A beverage crop is the one that produces a potable beverage other than water.
It can also include crops that produce starch (all cereals) or sugar (sugarcane,
sugar beet), which can be used for making a drink or a beverage.
Beverage is a potable drink other than water. The word beverage was derived
from the old French word ‘boivre’ or the modern French word ‘boire’ that
means a ‘drink’. There are two types of beverages: non-alcoholic and alcoholic.
Common non-alcoholic beverages include coffee, tea, milk, coke, sodas, etc.
Alcoholic beverages include beers, wine, whiskey, and other hard drinks.

Cash crop
A cash crop or profit crop is an agricultural crop which is grown to sell for
profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is
used to differentiate marketed crops from subsistence crops, which are those
fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family.
In earlier times cash crops were usually only a small (but vital) part of a
farm's total yield, while today, especially in developed countries, almost all
crops are mainly grown for revenue. In the least developed countries, cash
crops are usually crops which attract demand in more developed nations, and
hence have some export value.
Prices for major cash crops are set in commodity markets with global scope,
with some local variation (termed as "basis") based on freight costs and
local supply and demand balance. A consequence of this is that a nation,
region, or individual producer relying on such a crop may suffer low prices
should a bumper crop elsewhere lead to excess supply on the global markets.
This system has been criticized by traditional farmers. Coffee is an example of
a product that has been susceptible to significant commodity futures price
variations.

Horticulture
Horticulture has been defined as the culture of plants for food, comfort and
beauty. A more precise definition can be given as "The cultivation, processing,
and sale of fruits, nuts, vegetables, ornamental plants, and flowers as well as
many additional services". It also includes plant conservation, landscape
restoration, soil management, landscape and garden design, construction, and
maintenance, and arboriculture. In contrast to agriculture, horticulture does
not include large-scale crop production or animal husbandry.
Horticulturists apply their knowledge, skills, and technologies used to grow
intensively produced plants for human food and non-food uses and for
personal or social needs. Their work involves plant propagation and
cultivation with the aim of improving plant growth, yields, quality, nutritional
value, and resistance to insects, diseases, and environmental stresses. They
work as gardeners, growers, therapists, designers, and technical advisors in
 P a g e | 10

the food and non-food sectors of horticulture. Horticulture even refers to the
growing of plants in a field or garden

Major minerals found in the country along with their estimated reserves are
given below:

1. Bauxite Ore (Aluminium):

The total in situation reserves is 3.076 million tonnes. About 84 per cent of
this reserve is of metallurgical grade. The conditional resources of bauxite are
about 5, 99,780 tonnes. In addition, prospective resources are placed at 90
million tonnes.
Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Jharkhand
are the principal states where bauxite deposits are located. Major reserves are
concentrated in the East Coast Bauxite deposits of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

2. Chromite:
Total in situ reserves of chromite are estimated at 114 million tonnes. Total
geological resources were estimated at 187 million tonnes, consisting of
around 114 million tonnes in situ reserves and about 73 million tonnes as
conditional resources.
The largest share (about 96 per cent) in the total geological resources is
accounted by the Cuttack district in Orissa. Deposits of economic significance
occur in Orissa, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu and Manipur. However, refractory grade reserves of
chromite are very meagre.
3. Copper:
The total in situ reserves of copper ore in the country are 712.5 million
tonnes, equivalent to 9.4 million tonnes of metal content. The all-India
conditional resources of copper are 722 million tonnes (3.15 million tonnes of
copper metal) and prospective resources are 0.6 million tonnes of copper ore.
Major and important copper ore deposits are located in Singhbhum district
(Jharkhand), Balaghat district (Madhya Pradesh) and Jhunjhunu and Alwar
districts (Rajasthan). In addition, there are small copper ore deposits in
Gujarat, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya,
Maharashtra and West Bengal.
4. Gold:
There are three important gold fields in the country, namely, Kolar Gold
Fields, Kolar district, Hutti Gold Field in Raichur district (both in Karnataka)
and Ramgiri Gold Field in Anantpur district (Andhra Pradesh). Total in situ
reserves of gold ore are estimated at 22.4 million tonnes, with 116.50 tonnes
of metal.

5. Iron Ore:
 P a g e | 11

The total in situ reserves of iron ore in the country are about 1,23,17,275
thousand tonnes of haematite and 53,95,214 thousand tonnes of magnetite.
The resources of very high-grade ore are limited and are restricted mainly in
the Bailadila sector of Chhattisgarh and to a lesser extent in Bellary-Hospet
area of Karnataka and Barajamda sector in Jharkhand and Orissa.
Haematite resources are located in Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh,
Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Magnetite
resources are located in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Jharkhand,
Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.
6. Lead-Zinc:
Lead-Zinc resources are located in Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh,
Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra, Meghalaya,
Tamil Nadu and Sikkim. Total in situ reserves (all grades) of lead and zinc ores
are 231 million tonnes comprising metal content of 5.1 million tonnes of lead
and 17.02 million tonnes of zinc metal.

7. Manganese:
The total in situ resources of manganese ore are 406 million tonnes out of
which 104 million tonnes are proved, 135 million tonnes are in probable and
167 million tonnes are in possible categories. Main reserves fall in Karnataka,
followed by Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. Minor
occurrences of manganese are in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat,
Rajasthan and West Bengal.

8. Tungsten:
The total in situ reserves of tungsten ore have been estimated at 43.15 million
tonnes or 1, 32,478 tonnes of W03 content. The main reserves are at Degana,
Rajasthan. It also occurs in Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal and Andhra
Pradesh.

9. Diamond:
Diamond deposits occur in three types of geological settings such as
kimberlite pipes, conglomerate beds and alluvial gravels. The main diamond
bearing areas in India are the Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Munimadugu-
Banganapalle conglomerate in Kurnool district, Wajrakarur Kimberlite pipe in
Anantapur district and the gravels of Krishna river basin in Andhra Pradesh.
Reserves have been estimated only in the Panna belt and Krishna Gravels in
Andhra Pradesh. The total in situ reserves are about 26, 43,824 carats. There
are conditional resources of 19, 36,512 carat. The new kimberlite fields are
discovered recently in Raichur-Gulbarga districts of Karnataka.

10. Dolomite:
 P a g e | 12

Dolomite occurrences are widespread in almost all parts of the country. The
total in situ reserves of all grades of dolomite are 7,349 million tonnes. The
major share of about 90 per cent reserves is distributed in the states of
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Gujarat, Karnataka, West Bengal, Uttar
Pradesh and Maharashtra.

11. Fluorspar:
Total in situ reserves of fluorspar in India are 14.15 million tonnes.
Commercial deposits of Fluorspar are located in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra.

12. Gypsum:
The in situ reserves of gypsum are estimated at 383 million tonnes. Out of this,
two millions are of surgical/plaster grade. 92 million tonnes of
fertilizer/pottery grade, 76 million tonnes of cement/ paint grade, 13 million
tonnes of soil reclamation grade and the rest is unclassified. The production of
gypsum is confined to Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, and
Gujarat. Rajasthan is the main producer of gypsum followed by Jammu and
Kashmir.

13. Graphite:
The in situ reserves of graphite are 16 million tonnes. Orissa is the major
producer of graphite. Almost the entire reserves of Tamil Nadu under the
proved category are in Ramanathapuram district. Deposits of commercial
importance are located in Andhra Pradesh” Jharkhand, Gujarat, Karnataka,
Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

14. Limestone:
The total in situ reserves of limestone of all categories and grades are placed
at 1, 69,941 million tonnes. The total conditional reserves have been
estimated at 3,713 million tonnes.
The major share of its production comes from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat: Rajasthan, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,
Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh. The
remaining part comes from Assam, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Ker and
Meghalaya.
15. Mica:
India is the world’s leading producer of sheet mica and accounts for about 60
per cent of global mica trade. Important mica-bearing pegmatite occurs in
Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand Bihar and Rajasthan.
The total in situ reserves of mica in the country are placed at 59, often tonnes.
The in situ reserves of mica in Andhra Pradesh are 42,626 thousand tonnes,
Bihar 12,938 tonnes, Jharkhand 1,494 tonnes and in Rajasthan 2,007 tonnes.
16. Magnesite:
 P a g e | 13

The total in situ reserves of Magnesite are about 415 million tonnes of which
76 million tonnes are in the proved category. Major deposits of magnesite are
found in Uttaranchal, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan while minor deposits are in
Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Kerala.

17. Other Minerals:

Other minerals occurring in significant quantities in India are bentonite
(Rajasthan, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir), corundum
(Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh), clacite (Andhra
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar
Pradesh and Gujarat), fuller’s earth (Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Karnataka), garnet
(Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala), pyrites
(Jharkhand; Rajasthan, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh),
steatite (Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh),
wollastonite (Rajasthan and Gujarat), zircon (beach sand of Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa) and quartz and silica minerals are
widespread and occur in nearly all states.
Besides, the country has vast marble, slate and sandstone. Granite is mainly
mined in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan; marble in
Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh; slate in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh.
Haryana and Andhra Pradesh; and sandstone in Rajasthan.

Green Revolution in India

The Green Revolution in India refers to a period of time when agriculture in
India changed to an industrial system due to the adoption of modern methods
and technology such as high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, tractors, irrigation
facilities, pesticides, fertilizers etc. This was part of the larger Green
revolution started by Norman Borlaug, which leveraged agricultural research
and technology to increase agricultural productivity in the developing world.
Within India, this started in the early 1960s and led to an increase in food
grain production, especially in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh during the
early phase. The main development was higher-yielding varieties
of wheat, and rust resistant strains of wheat.

Conclusion
 P a g e | 14

With around two-third of the Indian population dependent directly or

indirectly on agriculture, it is considered to be the basis of the country’s
economic development. It is not just known to be a source of livelihood in
India but a way of life. The advancement in technology, agriculture has come a
long way. It is not limited to just growing crops and rearing of cattle. It
includes a whole lot of other subjects and someone who is interested in
getting into the agricultural field can choose to specialize in one.

While agriculture has given so much to our society, it comes with its own set
of cons that cannot be overlooked. While the government is doing so much to
bring about growth and development in this field, it should also take measures
to tackle the negative impact it is creating on the environment and those
involved in the field.