Agriculture in India: Kharif, Rabi and Zaid Crops, Top Producing States and Revolutions Notes for SSC

Agriculture gives a regular set of questions in SSC General Awareness: "Which is a Rabi crop?", "Which state is the largest producer of tea?" and "Who is called the father of the Green Revolution in India?" These agriculture in India notes for SSC give the crop seasons, the major crops with the leading states, the conditions in which each crop grows, and the revolutions.

Three Crop Seasons

Major Crops, Top States and Conditions

Types of Crops

Revolutions in Indian Agriculture

Important Facts

• Agriculture gives employment to nearly half of the workforce of India.
• The Minimum Support Price (MSP) is announced by the Government of India for the main crops.
• Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the main body of agricultural research.
• The first Green Revolution was in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

Quick Tips

• Learn the Kharif and Rabi crops in two lists.
• Learn the crop with the top state in pairs: tea-Assam, coffee-Karnataka, jute-West Bengal.
• Learn the revolution with its key person and item.
• Check the latest top-producing states before the exam, because they can change.

Quick Revision Points

• Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon and Rabi crops in winter.
• Wheat, barley, gram and mustard are Rabi crops.
• Assam is the top state for tea, and Karnataka for coffee.
• M. S. Swaminathan led the Green Revolution in India.
• Verghese Kurien led the White Revolution.

Practice Questions With Answers

1. Which crop season starts in June-July with the monsoon?
   Answer: Kharif
2. Name two Rabi crops.
   Answer: Wheat and mustard (also barley, gram)
3. Which is the top tea producing state of India?
   Answer: Assam
4. Which state leads in coffee production?
   Answer: Karnataka
5. Which state leads in jute production?
   Answer: West Bengal
6. Which crop is grown in black soil and is called the white gold?
   Answer: Cotton
7. Who is called the father of the Green Revolution in India?
   Answer: M. S. Swaminathan
8. Which revolution is related to milk production?
   Answer: White Revolution (Operation Flood)
9. Who led Operation Flood?
   Answer: Verghese Kurien
10. Which state is the top producer of wheat?
    Answer: Uttar Pradesh

How to Practise This Chapter

Practise 10 questions every day and write the steps on paper. Then attempt timed sets from our practice papers and the previous year papers page. See all topics on the Indian Geography notes page, read the previous topic Natural Vegetation and Forests and the next topic Minerals and Mining in India. Also read the Indian Geography mind map and Soils of India. Also read Five Year Plans and NITI Aayog.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the three crop seasons in India?

Kharif, Rabi and Zaid.

Which crops are Kharif crops?

Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean.

Which crops are Rabi crops?

Wheat, barley, gram, mustard and peas.

What are Zaid crops?

They are summer crops such as watermelon, cucumber and vegetables.

Which state is the largest producer of tea?

Assam.

Which state is the largest producer of coffee?

Karnataka.

Which state is the largest producer of cotton?

Gujarat.

What is the Green Revolution?

It was the large increase in wheat and rice production in the 1960s with high yielding seeds.

What is the White Revolution?

It is Operation Flood, which made India the largest milk producer.

What is MSP?

Minimum Support Price is the price at which the government buys the crops from farmers.

Is agriculture asked in SSC exams?

Yes. Crops, seasons and revolutions are asked in SSC General Awareness.

What are cash crops?

They are crops grown to be sold for money, such as cotton, jute and sugarcane.