Agriculture — III: Cash Crops (1)
ICSE Class 10 · Geography · Chapter 14
What this chapter covers
- Cash crops of India
- Sugarcane: climatic conditions and soil requirements
- Sugarcane: methods of cultivation
- Sugarcane: distribution
- Oilseeds in India
- Groundnut: climatic conditions and soil requirements
- Groundnut: methods of cultivation and distribution
- Mustard: climatic conditions, soil and cultivation
- Soya bean: climatic conditions, soil and cultivation
- Comparing the four cash crops
- Common mistakes to avoid
Key points
- A cash crop is grown mainly for sale and for industry; sugarcane, groundnut, mustard and soya bean are cash crops.
- Sugarcane needs 21–27 °C, 75–150 cm of rain or irrigation, no frost, and deep, fertile, well-drained loam, alluvial or black soil.
- Sugarcane is planted from setts by the flat, furrow or trench method; it stays 10–18 months in the field and is followed by one or two ratoon crops.
- Cut cane loses sugar fast, so sugar mills stand close to the cane fields; bagasse and molasses are useful by-products.
- Uttar Pradesh leads in sugarcane production, followed by Maharashtra and Karnataka; the peninsular states have higher yields and sugar recovery.
- Groundnut is a mainly kharif legume needing 20–30 °C, 50–75 cm of rain and light, loose, well-drained soil; Gujarat and Rajasthan lead.
- Mustard is a rabi crop of the cool north needing 10–25 °C and 25–40 cm of rain on loamy alluvial soil; Rajasthan is the largest producer.
- Soya bean is a kharif legume needing 20–30 °C, 60–100 cm of rain and well-drained black or loamy soil; Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra lead.
- All four crops are harmed by frost and waterlogging; the oilseeds are mostly rain-fed, while sugarcane is mostly irrigated.
Questions answered
Define a cash crop. Name four cash crops grown in India.
A cash crop is a crop grown mainly for sale in the market, often as raw material for an industry, rather than for the farmer's own use. Examples: sugarcane, groundnut, mustard, soya bean (also cotton, jute, tea).
State the temperature and rainfall needed for sugarcane.
Temperature of 21 °C to 27 °C and rainfall of 75 cm to 150 cm a year, with irrigation where rain is less; frost must be absent.
Give a reason why frost is harmful to sugarcane.
Frost damages the buds and growing tip of the cane and lowers the sugar content of the juice.
What is a sett? What is a ratoon crop?
A sett is a piece of sugarcane stem with two or three buds used for planting. A ratoon crop is the crop that grows from the stubble of the previous harvest.
Why are sugar mills located close to sugarcane fields?
Cut cane begins to lose its sugar and dry out within a day, so it must be crushed quickly; the mills are therefore built near the fields to reduce the delay.
Name the two leading sugarcane-producing states, and give two reasons why yields are higher in Maharashtra than in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. Maharashtra has a frost-free tropical climate with a longer growing season, and moisture-retentive black soil with assured irrigation (also co-operative mills).
Why does groundnut need light, loose soil?
Its pegs must push into the soil for the pods to form underground, and loose soil also makes it easy to lift the pods at harvest without breaking them.
Name the two leading groundnut-producing states.
Gujarat (Saurashtra) and Rajasthan.
Past board exam questions
ICSE 2026 board paper · 1 mark
The residue of __________ forms an important part of the cattle feed and manure.
- groundnut
- coffee
- jute
- pulses
Show answer
groundnut
ICSE 2025 board paper · 2 marks
Mention two climatic conditions that favour the cultivation of groundnut.
Show answer
1. Temperature of 20 °C to 30 °C with plenty of sunshine and no frost.
2. Moderate rainfall of 50 to 75 cm, well distributed.
ICSE 2025 board paper · 2 marks
Give any two reasons why Maharashtra has emerged as an important sugarcane producing state.
Show answer
1. The fertile, moisture-retentive black soil and the tropical climate with high temperature throughout the year give a long growing season and higher yields.
2. Well-developed irrigation and a large number of co-operative sugar mills near the cane fields.
ICSE 2024 sample paper · 1 mark
Which crop is associated with Ratooning?
- Sugarcane
- Jute
- Rice
- Cotton
Show answer
Sugarcane
ICSE 2024 sample paper · 2 marks
(a) Mention the climatic conditions found suitable for growing groundnut. (b) Name the state that is the leading producer of groundnut in India.
Show answer
(a) A tropical crop: temperature of 20°C to 30°C, moderate rainfall of 50 cm to 75 cm, with plenty of sunshine and no frost.
(b) Gujarat.
ICSE 2024 board paper · 3 marks
Give one reason to explain each of the following: (a) West Bengal is a leading producer of jute. (b) Millets are fast becoming the popular food crops. (c) More than two ratoon crops are not advisable for sugarcane farmers.
Show answer
(a) The Ganga–Brahmaputra delta has fertile alluvial soil renewed by floods every year, a hot and humid climate with heavy rainfall, and plenty of water for retting, plus cheap labour.
(b) Millets are highly nutritious (rich in fibre, iron, calcium), need little water and grow on poor soils with low inputs, so they are being promoted as healthy, climate-resilient food.
(c) The yield and sugar content of each successive ratoon crop decline, and the crop becomes more prone to pests and diseases, so further ratoons are uneconomical.
ICSE 2023 sample paper · 3 marks
(a) Mention two reasons why sugarcane cultivation is gaining importance in Peninsular India. (b) State one problem of sugarcane growers of Uttar Pradesh.
Show answer
(a) Any two: the tropical climate of the Peninsula gives a longer growing season and higher yield per hectare; the cane has higher sucrose (sugar) content; the crushing season is longer; the sea breezes of the coastal areas and black soil suit the crop; co-operative sugar mills in Maharashtra and Karnataka are better organised.
(b) Any one: low yield and low sugar content of the cane because of the cooler winter in north India; short crushing season; delay in payment by sugar mills; small holdings; old, inefficient mills.
ICSE 2020 board paper · 2 marks
Explain briefly the following terms: (i) Ginning. (ii) Ratooning.
Show answer
(i) Ginning is the process of separating cotton fibre (lint) from the seeds, done in a ginning mill.
(ii) Ratooning is allowing a crop such as sugarcane to grow again from the stubble (roots) left after the first harvest, so that a second crop is obtained without replanting.