Fiber Crops, Sugarcane, Tea and coffee in India

Introduction

Fibre crops, sugarcane, and tea are a few of the crops grown around the year by farmers all over India. Fibre crops are crops deliberately grown for the production of fibre for textile, cordage, and fillings. Apart from this, fibre crops are also used for packaging and decoration purposes. Sugarcane, Tea, and Coffee are grown in different parts of the nation at different times of the year. Tea is the most consumed beverage in India, hence making it a huge industry. This industry is an important bio-based industry that impacts rural livelihood directly. These crops are grown for more profits over seasonal crops like wheat, maize, and rice. 

Fibre Crops in India

Fibre crops are deliberately grown to make fibres for different purposes like packaging, textile industry, fillings, and decoration purposes. These crops generally have a high cellulose concentration making them strong. Fibre crops are harvestable after a season and have a seasonable availability.

• Cotton is the most important natural fibre crop grown in India and is mainly used for fibre, oil, and animal feed. It is also used as fuel by various farming communities. Cotton is grown primarily in 10 states of India, including Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. Cotton mainly grows in various soils, from deep alluvial soil in the north to black and red soils in central and southern India
• Jute is another significant fibre crop grown in India. India is the largest producer of jute globally, followed by Bangladesh. The jute industry is a labour-intensive industry and is almost 150 years old. Jute is majorly grown in northeastern states of India, namely West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Andhra Pradesh. Jute is widely used as it has high tensile strength thermal insulation and is breathable
• Natural Silk is an animal fibre produced by few insects and is a building material for cocoons and webs; these are used to make one of the finest fabrics in the world. India is the second-largest silk producer globally and is the only country producing all five kinds of silk. It provides opportunities to a large section of the population and is mainly produced in village-based industries. The process of production of silk and rearing of silkworms is known as sericulture

Sugarcane

Sugarcane is the world’s largest produced crop, and India is the world’s 2nd largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil. It is a tropical grass that attains a length of 10 to 20 feet. Sugarcane is a Kharif crop and needs a hot and humid climate for growth. It can grow in any soil which can retain moisture. The ideal soil for sugarcane is loamy soil.

•  In India, sugarcane is grown as a Kharif crop. It needs a hot and humid climate with an average temperature of 21 °C to 27 °C. 75-150 cm rainfall is favourable for sugarcane cultivation, and India produces around 352 million tonnes of sugar every year. Uttar Pradesh has the highest share in sugar production; the second and third are Maharashtra and Karnataka. Punjab, Haryana, and Bihar also produce a significant amount of sugarcane in India
• The sugarcane industry is an important agro-based industry that impacts the rural livelihood of about 50 million sugarcane farmers and 5 lakh workers directly employed in sugar mills. Employment is also generated in various other activities related to transport and trade servicing of machinery. Indian sugar industry annual output is worth approximately Rs 80,000 crores
• Sugarcane crop requires 10-18 months for its maturity in India. Generally, a 12-month crop duration is standard. The weather conditions govern the time of planting. Sugarcane juice is not only used to make white sugar but also brown sugar and jaggery
•  India has 732 installed sugar factories as of 2017, with sufficient crushing capacity to produce around 339 lakh MT of sugar. This capacity is distributed equally between the private and cooperative sectors
• Sugarcane is one of the main crops that earn foreign exchange for India. The primary by-products of the sugarcane industry are bagasse and molasses. Bagasse is mainly used as a fuel and is also used to produce compressed fibreboard paper, plastic and others. Molasses is used in distilleries for the manufacturing of ethyl alcohol, citric acid, etc. It is also an additive to feed the livestock

Tea and Coffee in India

• Tea is an integral part of India’s daily routine; from masala tea in Kashmir in the north to chai in Kanyakumari in the south, every state has its different taste and way of making a unique beverage out of tea leaves. Tea in India is consumed among every age group, and more than 60% of Indians prefer tea to coffee as their drink
• India is the second-largest producer of tea globally after China, and there are plans to recognise tea as a national drink of India. Apart from this, India is the largest consumer of tea globally, consuming nearly 30% of the world’s output. Indian Chai tea is not only known for its re-energizing benefits but also many medicinal values. These values come from a wide variety of traditional herbs used in it
• The primary tea-growing states are in Northeastern states (including Assam), Himachal Pradesh, and the north West-Bengal region. In the south, tea is also grown on a large scale in Nilgiris. India is home to many high-quality speciality teas, such as Darjeeling tea, Assam Tea, Palampur tea, etc
• Coffee was introduced in India in the 17th century and is dominated in hill tracts of South Indian states. Karnataka accounts for 71% of coffee production in India, followed by Tamil Nadu with a 21% share. There are about 250,000 coffee growers in India, and 98% are small farmers

Conclusion

India is home to various crops grown and exported worldwide annually. India is an agricultural economy, and crops are grown on the whole mainland. Fibre crops, Sugarcane, Tea, and Coffee, are a few of India’s major produced and exported crops. These crops are grown in different soils and different temperature/weather conditions depending on crop requirements.