Cropping pattern : The yearly sequence and spatial arrangement of crops on a given area.
The cropping patterns of a region are closely influenced by the geo-climatic, socio-cultural, economic and political factors. The physical environment (physiographic, climate, soils and water) imposes limits on the growth and distribution of crops.
Cropping pattern followed in Chhattisgarh is Rabi, Kharif and Zaid.
Kharif : From July to October
Crops: Rice, Millets,
Rabi: From October to March
Crops:Wheat, Grams, Mustard
Zaid: From March to June
Crops: Fodder crops
Fig: Land Use Pattern in Chhattisgarh
In order to unlock the true potential of agriculture sector in the state, government is paying special attention towards better management of its water resources.
There are several types of cropping systems based on resources and technology available. For example Mono Cropping, Sequential cropping etc.
Chhattisgarh is majorly a mono cropping state, as it is directly dependent on Monsoon. Although in some parts of state, where irrigation facilities are there multi-cropping is also practiced.
The total geographical area is around 13.79 million hectareof which cultivable land area is 4.67million hectare& forestland area is 6.35million hectare with around 26 million populations.
Kharif crops:
Almost 80 percent of the population in the state is engaged in agriculture and 43 percent of the entire arable land is under cultivation.
Paddy is the principal crop and the central plains of Chhattisgarh. Chhattisgarh is also known as rice bowl of central India.
Other crops are sugarcane, maize, coarse grains.
Rabi Crops:
Major Rabi crops grown in state are wheat, groundnut, pulses, and oilseeds.
Pulse production in the state has grown up significantly.
Zaid Crops: In this mainly crops are grown for fodder for livestock.
To reduce the farmer’s dependence on rainfall, government is working towards increasing the irrigation potential of the state. It is estimated that approximately 1.41millionhectares can be potentially irrigated covering 30 percent of the entire cropped area in the state. Ravi Shankar Sagar Mahanadi project, Kodar and, Hasdeo-Bango are some of the important irrigation projects in the state.