Plantation Crops in Indian Agriculture: Sugarcane, Tea, Coffee and Rubber

Plantation crops like sugarcane, tea, coffee, and rubber are essential components of India’s agricultural sector. These crops thrive in specific climatic conditions and contribute significantly to the country’s economy.

Plantation Crops in Indian Agriculture

Plantation Farming

• It is a type of commercial farming. It means the cultivation of a single crop on a large scale.
• Objective: The primary purpose of plantation farming is to produce crops for sale, and the crops are typically grown for industrial purposes rather than direct consumption. 
• Origin: Europeans introduced other forms of farming that were guided by profit-oriented motives. 
  • Examples: commercial farming, plantation farming, etc.
• The Characteristic of Farming: It includes large estates or plantations, large capital investments, managerial and technical support, scientific methods of cultivation, 
• Monoculture Farming: This involves cultivating a single crop on a large scale. 
• Capital-Intensive Crop Production: Plantations require significant capital and labour, with produce used as raw materials for industries. 
• Crucial Role of Infrastructure: A well-developed transport and communication network is crucial for plantation development and the factories and markets for the export of the products.
• Example: Tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, and banana

Major Plantation Crops

A. Sugarcane

• Sugarcane is a tropical crop; Under rainfed conditions, cultivated in sub-humid and humid climates.
• In India it is largely an irrigated crop; a highly water inefficient crop [UPSC  2021]. 
• Temperature: 20°C- 26°C ; Rainfall:  100 – 150 cm.
• Area: Covers 2.4% of total cropped area; 
  • Indo-Gangetic plain (Uttar Pradesh); western India (Maharashtra and Gujarat); southern India (irrigated tracts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh); 
• Leading Cultivators:  Uttar Pradesh (41%) > Maharashtra (25%) > Karnataka.
• Production: India was the second-largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil in 2018;  
• Method of propagation: Ratooning

B. Tea

• Temperature: 24°C- 30°C; Rainfall:  at least 150 cm; 
• Soil: Forest soil; rich in humus and iron; 
• Black tea leaves are fermented whereas green tea leaves are unfermented; 
• Tea leaves have a rich content of caffeine and tannin.
• Cultivated over hilly areas and well drained soils in humid and sub-humid tropics and sub-tropics; 
• Production: India is the leading producer and ranks second among tea exporting countries;  accounts for about 21.1% of total production in the world (2016); 
  • Tea plantation started in Brahmaputra valley of Assam (1840s); 
  • East India and North East: Later introduced in the sub-Himalayan region of West Bengal (Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts); 
  • Sothern States: Also cultivated on the lower slopes of Nilgiri and Cardamom hills in Western Ghats; 
• Assam is a major producer, about 53.2% of total tea cropped area is in Assam; 
• Leading Producers:  Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu ; 
  • Other producers: Kerala, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

C. Coffee

• Tropical plantation crop; 
• Temperature:  15°C- 28°C; Rainfall:  150 – 200 cm ; 
• Soil: Well drained, friable loamy soil, rich in vegetable mould is ideal.
• Types: There are three varieties of coffee i.e. arabica, robusta and liberica; 
  • Production of Robusta coffee is greater than Arabica coffee in India; 
  • It is grown under a canopy of thick natural shade of the Western and Eastern Ghats; 
• Production: Cultivated in the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu; India produces only about 3.7% coffee of the world and ranks seventh; 
  • Major Producer: Karnataka accounts for over two-thirds (70%) of total coffee production.

D. Rubber

• Areas: Typically grown in equatorial regions but it has also found a place in tropical and subtropical areas of India; 
• Temperature: 25°C-35°C ; Rainfall: 152 to 200 cm; 
• Soil: Rich well drained alluvial or laterite soils are ideal.
• Major Producers:  Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, as well as the Garo Hills of Meghalaya.

Conclusion

• Plantation crops are essential for India’s agricultural prosperity, offering livelihoods and boosting export earnings. 
• Their cultivation showcases the diversity and richness of India’s agricultural landscape, highlighting the importance of sustainable farming practices for future generations.