Last reviewed 30 Sept 2026 · Facts as of 30 Sept 2026 · 12 min read
A note on figures. Production rankings and totals change every year. The leading states and ranks below reflect the position in recent years; use the current Economic Survey or the Ministry of Agriculture's advance estimates for exact numbers.
Agriculture in India
Agriculture employs about 45 % of the workforce (roughly) but contributes a much smaller share (about 15–18 %) of the GDP. The main features: dependence on the monsoon, small holdings, and a mix of subsistence and commercial farming.
Types of farming
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Primitive subsistence (shifting / slash-and-burn) | forest cleared and burned, farmed for a few years then abandoned; jhum (north-east), podu (Andhra, Odisha), bewar / dahiya (Madhya Pradesh), kumari (Western Ghats) |
| Intensive subsistence | small plots, high inputs of labour, very high density; the most common (rice in the Ganga plain) |
| Commercial | high inputs, produce for the market (wheat in Punjab and Haryana, cotton, sugarcane) |
| Plantation | large estates of one crop — tea, coffee, rubber, spices; in Assam, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Dryland farming | rain-fed, drought-resistant crops (jowar, bajra, ragi) |
| Mixed farming; horticulture | crops and livestock; fruits and vegetables |
| Organic farming | no chemical inputs; Sikkim became India's first fully organic state (2016) |
Cropping seasons
| Season | Sowing – harvesting | Crops |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | June–July (monsoon onset) → September–October | rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean, sugarcane (long-duration), tur (arhar), moong, urad |
| Rabi | October–December → March–April | wheat, barley, gram (chana), peas, mustard, rapeseed, linseed, masoor; helped by winter western disturbances |
| Zaid | March–June (summer) | watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder, moong |
Major crops
| Crop | Climate | Leading states (recent years) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rice | hot and humid; over 100 cm rain; 25 °C | West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar | India is the second-largest producer after China and the largest exporter of rice (in recent years) |
| Wheat | cool growing season, warm harvest; 50–75 cm rain; rabi | Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan | second-largest producer after China |
| Maize, jowar, bajra, ragi (coarse grains / shree anna / millets) | dry and semi-arid areas | Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh | 2023 was the International Year of Millets (a UN declaration at India's proposal) |
| Pulses | Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh | India is the world's largest producer and consumer; gram and tur | |
| Sugarcane | tropical, 21–27 °C, 75–150 cm rain | Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka | India and Brazil are the two largest producers |
| Cotton | black soil, 21–30 °C | Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana | India is among the top two producers |
| Jute ("golden fibre") | alluvial soil, hot and humid | West Bengal, Bihar, Assam | India is the largest producer |
| Tea | hills, well-drained soil, heavy rain | Assam (the largest), West Bengal (Darjeeling), Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri) | India is the second-largest producer |
| Coffee | shady slopes, 15–28 °C | Karnataka (about two-thirds; Kodagu), Kerala, Tamil Nadu | Arabica and Robusta |
| Rubber | equatorial, over 200 cm rain | Kerala | |
| Oilseeds | groundnut (Gujarat, Rajasthan), mustard (Rajasthan), soybean (Madhya Pradesh — the leading state), sunflower, sesame | ||
| Spices | Kerala (pepper — "Black gold", cardamom), Andhra (chilli), Rajasthan (coriander, cumin), Gujarat, Karnataka | India is the largest producer and exporter of spices | |
| Fruits and vegetables | mango — Uttar Pradesh, Andhra; banana — Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra; apple — Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh; India is a leading producer of mango, banana, potato | ||
| Fibres and others | silk — Karnataka the largest; India is the second-largest silk producer after China, and the only country producing all four varieties (mulberry, tasar, eri, muga) |
Revolutions in agriculture
| Revolution | Concerned with | Associated with |
|---|---|---|
| Green | food grains (wheat, rice) — high-yield varieties, fertilisers, irrigation | M. S. Swaminathan (India), Norman Borlaug (world), 1960s |
| White (Operation Flood) | milk — Amul, cooperatives | Verghese Kurien ("Milkman of India"), 1970; India is the largest milk producer in the world |
| Blue | fisheries | |
| Yellow | oilseeds (mustard) | |
| Golden | horticulture (fruits, honey) | |
| Silver | eggs and poultry | |
| Pink | onion / prawn | |
| Red | meat / tomato | |
| Round | potato | |
| Grey | fertiliser | |
| Brown | leather / non-conventional |
Irrigation
- Sources: wells and tube wells (the largest share of the net irrigated area; mainly in the Ganga plain and Punjab), canals (Punjab, Haryana, UP, and the deltas), tanks (peninsular India — Tamil Nadu, Andhra), others.
- Multipurpose river-valley projects and micro-irrigation (drip and sprinkler) save water; the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) ("Har Khet Ko Pani"; "More Crop per Drop").
- Fertilisers: urea (largest use), DAP, MOP. Minimum Support Price (MSP) is set by the government on the recommendation of the CACP (Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices). NABARD finances agriculture and rural development. e-NAM is an online trading platform for agricultural produce.