Cropping Seasons in India
Geography › Agriculture and Crop Geography · Topic 11.5
India has three cropping seasons. Kharif crops are sown with the onset of the south-west monsoon in June and July and harvested in September and October: rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean and pulses such as tur, moong and urad. Rabi crops are sown in October and November, in the winter, and harvested in March and April: wheat, barley, gram, mustard, linseed and peas. Zaid crops are grown in a short season between rabi and kharif, from March to June: watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder.
5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Agriculture and Crop Geography
At a Glance
- Kharif Sown June-July; harvested Sept-Oct
- Rabi Sown Oct-Nov; harvested Mar-Apr
- Zaid Mar-June
- Kharif staple Rice, maize, cotton
- Rabi staple Wheat, gram, mustard
- Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Agriculture and Crop Geography
Where Does It Fit?
This topic follows the account of the sector and types of farming and sets out the yearly rhythm of crops in India. The crop-wise topics at the end of the macro refer to these seasons. Previous topic: Performance of the Agriculture Sector and Types of Farming. Next topic: Infrastructure Factors: Seeds, Fertilizers, Irrigation.
What Are the Three Seasons?
| Season | Sowing | Harvest | Main crops | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kharif (monsoon) | June to July, with the onset of the south-west monsoon | September to October | Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean, sugarcane (longer), tur, moong, urad | Monsoon rain; irrigation in the north-west |
| Rabi (winter) | October to December | March to April | Wheat, barley, gram, peas, mustard, rapeseed, linseed, potato | Winter moisture, irrigation and western disturbance rain |
| Zaid (summer) | March to April | June | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables, fodder, moong, some rice and maize | Irrigation |
The names come from Arabic: kharif means autumn and rabi means spring. The seasons depend on the monsoon and the winter cool. The rabi crop in north India is the one most dependent on irrigation, and in the south and east the winter rain from the north-east monsoon matters for crops of Tamil Nadu.
How Do the Seasons Differ by Region?
- Rice seasons in the east: in Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three rice crops are grown: autumn rice (aus), winter rice (aman) which is the main crop, and summer rice (boro).
- Rice-wheat belt: in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh, rice in kharif is followed by wheat in rabi, a rotation that has raised output but strained groundwater.
- Keralam (Kerala) and the south: rice in several seasons (virippu, mundakan and puncha), and plantation crops all year.
- Tamil Nadu: the north-east monsoon in October to December supports a main rice season (samba) and rabi-like crops.
- Himalaya: a single crop in the high areas, because of the cold winters.
What Are the Cropping Patterns and Intensity?
- Mixed cropping: two or more crops grown together on the same land in the same season, which lowers risk.
- Intercropping: crops in distinct rows, such as soybean with maize.
- Crop rotation: growing different crops in succession, with pulses to restore nitrogen.
- Multiple cropping and sequential cropping: two or more crops a year on the same field, helped by irrigation and short-duration varieties.
- Cropping intensity: the gross cropped area as a share of net sown area is about 150 per cent for India, higher in Punjab and Haryana, above 190 per cent, than in rainfed states.
The land use terms are in Land Use and Land Capability Classification. Government support for the seasons comes through the minimum support price announced separately for kharif and rabi crops, as in Agricultural Labour and Price Policy. The calendar also shapes farm work and rural life. Sowing, transplanting and harvesting create peaks of labour demand, and migrant labour moves between regions to meet them, such as workers from Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh for Punjab’s paddy transplanting. Most festivals of India, such as Pongal, Baisakhi, Onam, Bihu and Makar Sankranti, mark harvests. Storage, marketing and credit are tied to seasons, and prices tend to fall at harvest and rise in the lean months, which is why storage and warehousing receipts matter to farmers. Late sowing of rabi crops after a long kharif paddy harvest is a problem in the north-west, and crop residue burning follows. Farmers also plan their crops by the weather outlook, and agro-advisory bulletins of the India Meteorological Department, issued for each district, help them time sowing and irrigation. Climate change is shifting the calendar, with heat at the end of winter cutting wheat yields in some years, and with monsoon rains arriving later or in short heavy bursts. As an analytical point, the kharif crop depends on the monsoon, as in Monsoon Mechanism: Traditional and Contemporary Theories (Air Mass Theory, Jet Stream Theory), and a failure of the rains affects food supply and prices.
Why Is This Topic Important?
- Lists Crop-season matches are asked
- Regional Eastern rice crops
- Policy Seasonal MSP
What Came Next?
The next topic describes the infrastructure factors: seeds, fertilizers and irrigation. Next topic: Infrastructure Factors: Seeds, Fertilizers, Irrigation.
Key People and Terms
- Kharif Monsoon-season crop
- Rabi Winter-season crop
- Zaid Summer-season crop
- Aman Winter rice of the east
- Mixed cropping Crops grown together
- Crop rotation Different crops in succession
Exam Corner
Points to Remember
- Wheat, gram and mustard are rabi crops.
- Rice, cotton and maize are kharif crops.
- Zaid is between March and June.
- Aman is the main winter rice of the east.
- MSP is declared for kharif and rabi separately.
Do Not Confuse With
- Kharif and rabi Sown with the monsoon versus sown in winter
- Mixed cropping and intercropping Scattered together versus in rows
- Aus, aman and boro Autumn, winter and summer rice
Memory Hook
Kharif with the rain, rabi with the cold, zaid in the heat between.
Mains Angle
Questions ask for the relation between seasons, monsoon and crops. These points add depth.
- Seasons Three seasons
- Dependence Monsoon and irrigation
- Patterns Rotation and intensity
A Question You May Face
An original practice question, not a past paper question.
“Describe the cropping seasons of India and discuss how the monsoon and irrigation influence the cropping pattern.”
How to Answer
- Seasons Kharif, rabi, zaid.
- Crops Season-wise list.
- Regions Rice seasons, rice-wheat belt.
- Patterns Rotation and intensity.
GS Relevance
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the cropping seasons in India?
India has three cropping seasons. Kharif crops are sown in June and July with the monsoon and harvested in September and October. Rabi crops are sown in October to December and harvested in March and April. Zaid crops are grown between March and June, in the short summer season between rabi and kharif.
Which crops are grown in the kharif season?
The main kharif crops are rice, maize, jowar, bajra, ragi, cotton, jute, groundnut, soybean and pulses such as tur, moong and urad. They are sown with the arrival of the south-west monsoon in June and July, and they need warm weather and plenty of water during growth.
Which crops are grown in the rabi season?
The main rabi crops are wheat, barley, gram, peas, mustard, rapeseed and linseed. They are sown in October to December, grow in the cool winter months, and are harvested in March and April. They need cool weather and, in most places, irrigation, with some help from winter rain.
What are aus, aman and boro?
Aus, aman and boro are the three rice crops of the eastern states such as West Bengal, Assam and Odisha. Aus is the autumn crop, sown in spring and harvested in autumn, aman is the main winter crop harvested in November to December, and boro is the summer crop grown with irrigation in winter and spring.
What is cropping intensity?
Cropping intensity is the ratio of the gross cropped area to the net sown area, shown as a percentage. It shows how many times, on average, a piece of land is cropped in a year. In India it is about 150 per cent, and higher in irrigated states such as Punjab and Haryana.
PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis
1 Wheat is a rabi crop in India.
It is sown in winter.
2 Kharif crops are harvested in March and April.
Those are rabi harvests.
3 Zaid crops are grown between rabi and kharif.
In the summer months.
4 Boro rice is a summer rice crop of the east.
It is grown with irrigation.
Past Mains Questions on This Topic
This topic comes under Agriculture and Crop Geography. UPSC Mains questions asked on the matching syllabus topic, year-wise with marks:
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