India’s two major cropping patterns are kharif and rabi. Differentiate between them with examples and list one government scheme supporting each.
Subtopic: Agriculture · Cropping patterns
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Kharif sown with south-west monsoon (June-Oct), harvested Sep-Oct; Rabi sown Oct-Dec, harvested Mar-May; Ministry of Agriculture's 4th Advance Estimates 2023-24 records 332.3 MT foodgrain.
Body: 1) Kharif — rice, jowar, bajra, cotton, soybean; depends on monsoon; supported by Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). 2) Rabi — wheat, mustard, gram, peas; depends on residual moisture and irrigation; supported by Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Way forward: Crop diversification under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana; align MSP with sustainability incentives; expand PMKSY 'per drop more crop'.
Written within the word limit
141 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: India's foodgrain production touched 332.3 MT in FY25 (Fourth Advance Estimates, DA&FW), with kharif contributing 60% and rabi 40%, driven by the monsoon cycle and CACP MSP architecture.
Body: Kharif crops are sown June-July with the southwest monsoon and harvested September-October — heat- and humidity-tolerant: paddy (104 MT FY25), bajra, jowar, maize, soyabean, cotton, groundnut and tur. Rabi crops are sown October-November after monsoon retreat and harvested March-April; they need cool growing weather and warm ripening: wheat (113.3 MT FY25), gram, mustard, barley and masur. Zaid (March-June) covers short summer crops — moong, watermelon, cucumber. Cross-cutting schemes include PM-KISAN, PMFBY, e-NAM and MSP under CACP. Kharif is supported by PMKSY-Har Khet Ko Pani for irrigation; Rabi by RKVY-RAFTAAR and the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oilseeds (NMEO-OS) for mustard.
Way forward: The Department of Agriculture should converge AgriStack with kharif PMFBY enrolment and rabi NMEO-Oilseeds by FY27.
What an examiner expects to see
- Foodgrain output 332.3 MT (4th AE 2023-24)
- Kharif — rice, cotton, bajra, soybean
- Rabi — wheat, gram, mustard, peas
- PMKSY launched 2015
- PMFBY launched 2016 — 36 crore farmer enrollments cumulative
- MSP for 23 crops
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Punjab paddy belt
- Madhya Pradesh wheat
- Maharashtra cotton
- Rajasthan mustard