With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the foll

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UPSC Prelims is a competitive examination conducted in India. This question is from the 2019 UPSC Prelims Geography paper.

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Question

With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements:Area under rice cultivation is the highest.Area under the cultivation of jowar is more than that of oilseeds.Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Accepted Answer

Correct Answer: A — 1 and 3 onlyStep-by-step Solution:Based on agricultural data from the Ministry of Agriculture (Annual Report 2017-18) for Kharif crops:Statement 1 — Rice has the highest area under cultivation: This is correct. Among all Kharif crops, rice (paddy) consistently has the highest sown area in India — typically around 40+ million hectares in any given year, making it the largest Kharif crop by area. ✓Statement 2 — Jowar area is more than oilseeds: This is incorrect. Oilseeds (groundnut, soybean, sunflower, sesamum, etc. combined) have a much larger total area under cultivation than jowar. Total kharif oilseed area typically exceeds 15-18 million hectares, while jowar area has been declining and is around 7-8 million hectares. Jowar area is NOT more than oilseeds area. ✗Statement 3 — Cotton area is more than sugarcane area: This is correct. Cotton is cultivated on approximately 11-12 million hectares as a Kharif crop, while sugarcane (though technically planted and harvested over a longer period) is cultivated on approximately 5 million hectares. Cotton area significantly exceeds sugarcane area. ✓Statement 4 — Sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased: This is incorrect. Sugarcane area has not shown a steady decrease — it has fluctuated and in many years has remained stable or even increased, depending on government support prices, mill payments, and profitability. It has NOT steadily decreased. ✗Why other options are incorrect:Options B, C, and D: Incorrect because statements 2 and 4 are wrong.Key Concept: Major Kharif crops in India by area (descending order typically): Rice > Oilseeds (all) > Cotton > Maize > Pulses (Kharif) > Bajra > Jowar > Sugarcane. Kharif season: June–October (monsoon crops); major crops include rice, jowar, bajra, maize, cotton, groundnut, soybean, sorghum. Rabi season: October–March (winter crops); major crops include wheat, barley, mustard, gram, lentil.

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More Questions from Agriculture – Crops, Cropping Patterns & Irrigation

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More Questions from Agriculture – Crops, Cropping Patterns & Irrigation

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