Rajasthan's economy is mainly agriculture-based. About 80 percent of the population lives in rural areas and is dependent on farming.The agricultural sector of the state accounts for 22.5 per cent.The arid state which receives not more than an annual income of 25 cm thrives on agriculture that is done with irrigation systems and painstaking efforts of the poor farmers of Rajasthan. As a major portion of the state is parched and infertile, agriculture becomes very difficult. Though there are vast tracts of the desert in western Rajasthan, the ecological environment is semi-arid; in eastern Rajasthan, where rivers and a lush green cover are present, there is more rain, and the seasonal crops are plentiful. In these harsh climatic conditions, women tend to the cattle and their milking, while the elderly or the young take them out to pastures for grazing. In the past, when agriculture was a risky affair, it became necessary to raise cattle for survival, a tradition that has continued to grow, turning Rajasthan into one of the states that have benefitted from the 'white revolution'. It is the men who work in the fields The total cultivated area of the state encompasses about 20 million hectares and out of this only 20% of the land is irrigated. Ground water level is available only at a depth of 30 to 61m. Rajasthan farmers have to depend on different sources of irrigation that include tube wells, wells and tanks. The Punjab Rivers in the north, the Narmada River in the south and the Agra Canals from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh provide water to the dry land of Rajasthan. Northwestern Rajasthan is irrigated by the Indira Gandhi Canal.
Rajasthan has two principal crop seasons :
1 Rabi
2 Kharif The Rabi crops are winter crops and are sown in the months of October and November and are harvested in the months of March and April. The principal Rabi crops are Barley, Wheat, Gram, Pulses and Oil Seeds. The major oil seeds are Rape and Mustard. The Kharif crops are the crops that are grown in the summer season and are seeded in the months of June and July. These crops are harvested in the months of September and October and include Bajra, Pulses, Jowar, Maize and Ground Nuts. Three important crops grown here are wheat, corn grown here are wheat, corn and millets, with the last being used for baking breads in the villages, while those in larger towns show a preference for wheat flour. Pulses are another important crop, since this forms the basis of the lentils required for cooking meals. Sesame and groundnut are grown and are important sources of cooking oil. The land is still not used for growing vegetables other than crops of potatoes, and more recently, tomatoes. Fresh vegetables have not formed a part of the traditional cuisine of the state, therefore it is still not being grown. Dehydrated vegetables - sangri and gwarphali from the bean families, and kakri from the cucumber family - can be eaten when fresh, or stored for use in later months, and village diets still consume these. In recent years, with transport communications between towns, the availability of fresh vegetables in towns and cities has increased. Some places of Rajasthan that has black soil nurture the growth of major cash crops like Cotton. In some regions Tobacco is also grown. Apart from this crops an assortment of fruits and vegetables are also grown in Rajasthan in the local gardens and some fertile regions. These fruits include Oranges, Guavas, Lemon, Pomegranates and Mangoes. Rajasthan soil is also suited for the growth of some spice plants, especially red, hot chilies. These chilies give Rajasthan its distinct flavor. Other spices are cumin seeds and methi. The latter is grown under rain-fed farming conditions or in irrigated areas. Bajra is consumed by the rural poor, particularly the nomads. Rajasthan is the largest producer of bajra in India.Juar is an important pulse crop during the monsoon.Gram is another major pulse crop grown in rabi. Wheat is cultivated on irrigated land.Barley is the second largest crop in Rajasthan. Maize is a stable crop for the Bhil tribes in the Aravallis. In northern Rajasthan, maize is a delicacy eaten with butter and the green leaf of the mustard plant. Irrigation by electric pumps.Electricity is supplied to about 80 percent of the villages, energizing pumps and tube wells. Irrigation by Persian Wheel. The Persian wheel method is popular in the central and eastern region where the ground water table is comparatively high. One Persian wheel can irrigate up to one hectare of land. |
