NCERT Solutions Agriculture CBSE Class 10 SST Geography Chapter 4 | 2026-27

Beverage Crop: Tea

Step 1 — Identify the crop: Tea is an important beverage crop introduced in India by the British. Coffee is another beverage crop, but tea is more widely grown and exported.

Step 2 — Geographical conditions for Tea:

• Climate: Tropical and sub-tropical climate required.
• Temperature: Warm and moist, frost-free climate throughout the year.
• Rainfall: Frequent showers evenly distributed over the year to ensure continuous growth of tender leaves.
• Soil: Deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in humus and organic matter.
• Topography: Grown on hill slopes where water does not stagnate.

Step 3 — Key producing states: Assam, West Bengal (Darjeeling), Tamil Nadu, Kerala.

Step 1 — Identify the crop: Cotton is one of the staple (fibre) crops of India. Rice and Wheat are staple food crops, but in the context of fibre/industrial crops, cotton is the primary staple crop.

Step 2 — Producing regions: Major cotton-producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Step 3 — Additional context: Cotton is a Kharif crop grown in black soil (Deccan Plateau region). India is one of the largest producers of cotton in the world.

Step 1 — Land reforms: Abolition of zamindari system to free farmers from exploitation. Consolidation of smallholdings to make farming more efficient.

Step 2 — Financial support: Establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies, Kissan Credit Card (KCC), and Personal Accident Insurance Scheme to provide loans at lower interest rates.

Step 3 — Price and input support: Announcement of Minimum Support Price (MSP) to protect farmers when prices fall due to bumper crops. Subsidies on agricultural inputs such as power and fertilisers.

Step 4 — Insurance: Crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire, and disease to protect farmers from natural calamities.

Step 1 — Food security impact: India will no longer be self-sufficient in its requirements of food grains. The country may have to import food, increasing dependence on foreign nations.

Step 2 — Employment impact: Landless labourers will swell the ranks of unskilled, unemployed workers in India, worsening poverty and unemployment.

Step 3 — Cropping pattern change: More farmers will switch to the cultivation of high-value crops instead of food grains, which could affect food availability for the general population.

Step 4 — Environmental impact: Reduced agricultural land may increase pressure on remaining farmland, leading to overuse and soil degradation.

Step 1 — Organic farming: Organic farming is practised without factory-made chemicals like fertilisers and pesticides. It does not harm the environment and is increasingly popular.

Step 2 — Crop diversification: Indian farmers are encouraged to diversify from cereals to high-value crops such as fruits, medicinal herbs, flowers, vegetables, and bio-diesel crops like Jatropha and Jojoba. These crops need much less irrigation than rice or sugarcane.

Step 3 — Harnessing India’s diverse climate: India’s varied climate can support a wide range of high-value crops, increasing farmer incomes and reducing environmental degradation simultaneously.

Step 4 — Technology and research: Government investment in agricultural research (ICAR — Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and development of high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds through the Green Revolution.

Step 1 — About Jute: Jute is known as the ‘golden fibre’. It grows well on well-drained fertile soils in flood plains where soils are renewed every year. High temperature is required during growth. It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets, and other artefacts.

Step 2 — Impact of partition: The 1947 partition divided the jute-growing regions. The major jute-growing areas went to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), while the processing mills remained in India (mainly West Bengal). This severely disrupted the supply of raw jute to Indian mills.

Step 3 — Additional challenge: Due to high production costs, jute is losing its market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly nylon. This has further weakened the jute industry.

Step 1 — Crop season: Rice is a Kharif crop — sown with the onset of monsoon and harvested in September–October.

Step 2 — Temperature and rainfall: Requires high temperature above 25°C and high humidity with annual rainfall over 100 cm. In areas of less rainfall, it is grown with the help of irrigation.

Step 3 — Regions of production: Grown in the plains of north and northeastern India, coastal areas, and deltaic regions. Development of canal irrigation and tubewells has made it possible to grow rice in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan.

Step 4 — Soil: Grows best in deep, clayey alluvial soil that retains water well.

Kharif crops are sown at the onset of the monsoon (June) and harvested in September–October. Examples: Rice, Cotton. Rabi crops are sown in winter (October–November) and harvested in March–April. Examples: Wheat, Mustard. The key difference is the season — Kharif depends on monsoon rainfall while Rabi depends on winter moisture and irrigation.

MSP is the price announced by the government at which it purchases crops directly from farmers. It protects farmers from price crashes that occur during bumper crop years when market prices fall sharply. MSP ensures farmers receive a fair price for their produce regardless of market fluctuations, providing them financial security and encouraging continued agricultural production.

Features of Plantation Agriculture:

• A single crop is grown on a large area.
• It is capital-intensive — requires heavy investment in machinery, fertilisers, and labour.
• It uses both land and labour intensively.
• The produce is processed in the farm itself or nearby factories.
• It has an interface of agriculture and industry.
• Crops are grown for export and commercial purposes.
• Requires good transport network connecting farms to factories and markets.

Two plantation crops: Tea (grown in Assam, West Bengal) and Rubber (grown in Kerala).