Agriculture of India

During colonization, India gradually became more and more an agrarian country. In the period after independence, the agriculture of India also continues to play a crucial role in the country's economy. The share of the agricultural population is more than 70%. Of these, more than 40% are landless and landless peasants, and besides them agricultural workers. Agriculture in India has a predominantly crop orientation, with the country having the largest livestock in the world. Cattle have 230 million heads, sheep and goats are 120 million.

But the role of livestock in India is completely unusual. First of all, cattle in the country is used as the main labor force in production. Cows and buffaloes are used for plowing and harvesting, transportation of goods and irrigation of fields. Working cattle here is the main property of the peasant, they feed him and carefully look after him. After the cattle have aged, they do not kill it, so the fields and roads of the country are filled, interfering with the traffic, while remaining untouchable and "sacred" animals. Meat and milk in India consume very little. Meat is due to the fact that the bulk of the population is vegetarian, and milk is consumed only by adding it to tea. Products of animal origin are used in the country in very small quantities. In a year it is necessary only 42 liters of milk, 1,5 kgs of meat and 3 eggs per capita. These products are used only by the prosperous population, which is in India a thin layer in the bulk. Just like in India, the agriculture of Indonesia and other South Asian countries pay very little attention to animal husbandry.

Of the livestock products, India exports only leather, bones, skins and bristles. In addition, manure is widely used in the country, which is not only the main type of fertilizer for peasant farms, but also the main type of fuel. Despite the fact that the climate of the country allows you to farm all year round, it is almost rare where more than one crop is harvested. More than 85% of the acreage is occupied by food crops. The Ganges and Brahmaputra valleys, as well as coastal lowlands form one of the parts of the great world rice belt, which further extends to China and the countries of Southeast Asia. In the North-West zone, the agriculture of India represents the wheat zone of the country.

Wheat is grown on irrigated fields in the winter season. Drought-resistant crops are grown in weakly irrigated and arid regions: sorghum, ragi, bajra and various small millet. Also widely distributed are various kinds of peas, beans and other leguminous crops. But, despite this, the gross agricultural output of the country does not provide food for the entire population and, therefore, it is often necessary to import a large amount of grain. For most of the country's inhabitants, the main and only source of fats is oilseeds. They are cultivated in India everywhere, but the demand for them is much greater and India has to buy vegetable oil abroad.

Agriculture in India is the world's largest producer of sugar cane. The main belt of the country for the production of sugar is the Ganges valley. In addition, India is one of the world's leading powers to grow cotton. The country is also the largest producer of tea in the world. It grows about one-third of the world's tea collection. Traditionally, an important article of Indian exports is the export of a variety of spices and spices. The most important of them is black pepper. The second place in the world of India is to collect bananas. Of other fruits, mango is an important place - it is the Indian "queen" of fruit.