Major Crops
ICSE Class 6 · Geography · Chapter 6
What this chapter covers
- Food crops and cash crops
- Rice
- Wheat
- Cotton
- Jute
- Sugarcane
- Crop-producing regions on the world map
Key points
- A crop is a plant grown in large amounts because it is useful to people.
- Food crops such as rice and wheat are grown mainly to feed people; cash crops such as cotton, jute and sugarcane are grown mainly for sale.
- Rice needs high temperature, heavy rain, clayey soil and many workers; China and India grow the most.
- Wheat needs a cool growing season, a warm ripening season and moderate rain; it is the main crop of the world's grasslands and of north India.
- Cotton needs heat, light rain, no frost and black soil; Gujarat and Maharashtra are leading cotton states.
- Jute, the golden fibre, grows in hot, wet deltas; India and Bangladesh grow most of it.
- Sugarcane needs heat, moisture and a long season; Brazil and India are the top producers, and Uttar Pradesh leads in India.
- Each crop grows in the parts of the world where its needs for temperature, rain and soil are met.
Questions answered
What is the difference between a food crop and a cash crop?
A food crop is grown mainly to feed people. A cash crop is grown mainly to sell for money.
Sort these crops into food crops and cash crops: jute, wheat, sugarcane, rice, cotton.
Food crops are wheat and rice. Cash crops are jute, sugarcane and cotton.
Why does rice grow well in West Bengal?
West Bengal is hot and gets heavy monsoon rain. Its flat river plains and deltas have clayey alluvial soil that holds water.
When is wheat sown and harvested in India?
It is sown in October and November and harvested in March and April.
Which soil is best for cotton, and why?
Black soil, because it holds moisture for a long time.
What is retting?
Retting is the soaking of jute stems in water to loosen the fibre.
Name two things made from sugarcane besides sugar.
Gur (jaggery) and molasses. Bagasse from the crushed stems is used as fuel and to make paper.
Which two countries grow most of the world's jute, and which delta do they share?
India and Bangladesh. They share the delta of the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.