Otokar Slampa on the basis of variation in the physical, economic and technological factors affecting agriculture and animal husbandry; their regional characteristics; their intensity and level of development since independence has divided India into 13 main agricultural regions.
1. Northern Mountain Region
It includes entire north-western hilly tract covering parts of Jammu and Kashmir (except southwestern part), Himachal Pradesh and hills of Punjab, Haryana and Uttaranchal. It enjoys 100 cm (northern part) to 200 cm (south-eastern part) of annual rainfall and is characterized by sparse population, extrusive forest cover, enough pastures and limited agriculture. Besides rice as main crop wheat, maize, potato and fruits are also grown. Sheep is the main domesticated animal.
2. Northern Plains
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Extending over north-western part of the country and covering the Ganga plain, Punjab plain and north-west Rajasthan it receives an average of 110 cm of annual rainfall. Major part of this region is devoted to agriculture and 30 percent of the cropped area is under double cropping.
This is main food grain producing area of the country where wheat, barley, pulses, maize and rice (with scattered patches) are the main crops. Sugarcane, oil seeds and cotton are grown as commercial crops. The region lacks permanent pasture lands but animal husbandry (cows and buffaloes) is a supplementary activity to agriculture. In western part sheep rearing is the main economic activity.
3. North-Western Region
It incorporates the drier parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat with annual rainfall between 10 cm (western part) and 50 cm (eastern part). Here jowar, Bajra and wheat (northern part) are the main crops. Sheep and goat rearing in the east and camel rearing in the drier west are other economic activities.
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4. North-Eastern Region
It stretches over north-eastern Uttar Pradesh, northern Bihar, West Bengal, Meghalaya, coastal Orissa, Assam and Tripura. The annual rainfall average is more than 150 cm (300 cm in Assam and Meghalaya). Rice is the main crop. Besides Jute, oilseeds and tea (in the north-east) are other crops.
5. North-Eastern Frontier Region
It includes Arunchal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram. The region is characterised by shifting cultivation with rice as the main cultivated crop.
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6. Central Region
It comprises north-eastern Rajasthan, northwestern Madhya Pradesh and south-western upland of Uttar Pradesh. The region has undulating plateau topography with average rainfall between 50 cm and 75 cm annually. Due to large forest cover agriculture is confined to limited patches with wheat, mower, pulses, till, linseed, cotton and sugar cane as main crops.
7. Western Region
It stretches over Maharashtra (except Konkan coast), major part of Gujarat, south-eastern Rajasthan, interior Karnataka and north-western Andhra Pradesh. The region receives 50 cm to 75 cm of annual rainfall. Its black recur soil is utilised in raising crops like jowar-bajra, cotton, groundnut, linseed and till.
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8. Eastern Region
It occupies interior Orissa, southern uplands of Bihar, and eastern Madhya Pradesh. Rainfall lies between 140 cm to 160 cm. Rice is the main crop accompanied with pulses, jowar-bajra, sweet potato, linseed and mustard.
9. Konkan Region
This includes coastal plains of the West Coast. It receives rainfall between 100 cm (northern Konkan), and 200 cm. Rice is the main agricultural crop followed by jowar, linseed and coconut.
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10. Malabar and Canada Region
This region with more than 200 cm annual rainfall occupies coastal zone of Karnataka and Kerala. Rice, coconut, rubber, tea, coffee and spices are the main crops.
11. South-Eastern Region
This region includes peninsular uplands of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and south-eastern Karnataka. The region enjoys winter rainfall with rice, jowar, groundnut, cotton, tobacco etc. as the main crops. Banana and mango are main fruits.
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12. Lakshadweep
This stretches over the Lakshadweep where coconut is the main crop. It has a great potential for fishing industry.
13. Andaman-Nicobar Islands
This incorporates Andaman-Nicobar group of islands where coconut and rice are main agricultural crops. Fishing and hunting are other economic activities carried over the region.
A. Himalayan Agricultural Belt
This belt incorporates Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Darjeeling district (West Bengal), Sikkim, Aruanchal Pradesh, and Assam Himalaya. In this whole belt rainfall varies between 125 cm and 250 cm. The amount of rainfall decreases from east to west. Most of the area is rugged and barren and only 7 per cent of the total area is available for agriculture. It is further subdivided into two meso and four micro regions showing the predominance of rice in the east and wheat in the west.
B. Dry Agricultural Belt
This includes north-western India (Rajasthan, Gujarat, western Uttar Pradesh, south-western Punjab, southern Haryana and long strip of the peninsular plateau on the leeward side of the Sahayadris. Here average annual rainfall is about 75 cm. except the alluvial plains of Haryana and Punjab whole of this belt suffers from acute shortage of water. Millets, gram, oilseeds, cotton and groundnut are the main crops. The belt consists of 2 meso and 11 micro-level agricultural regions.
C. Sub-Humid Belt
This stretches over the Upper and Middle Ganga plain, a narrow central belt running from Bundelkhand to Tamil Nadu plateau, and the eastern coastal plains. The amount of annual rainfall varies from 75 cm. to 100 cm. The agricultural intensity is high in the areas of assured irrigation. Wheat, sugarcane, rice, gram, maize, millets, cotton, groundnut, oilseeds and tobacco are the main crops. Its subdivision yields 3 meson and 24 micro agricultural regions.
D. Wet Belt
This comprises north-eastern part of the Peninsula, West Bengal, south Bihar, Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland and Mizoram. It receives 100 cm to 200 cm of annual rainfall. In the lower Ganga plain and deltaic regions rice and jute are the main crops but piedmont areas cultivate plantation crops (tea). In the peninsular region millets and wheat are widely grown while spices, tea, rubber and coconut find place in the western coastal plains. The zone consists of 4 meso and 27 micro-level agricultural regions.