Andhra Pradesh and Telangana are the leading food grain producing states in India as well as among the top 3 rice producing states (77 % of the food grain production), besides Uttar Pradesh & West Bengal. Agriculture is the main occupation of about 62 per cent of the people here and it is blessed with a suitable weather to produce varieties of crops.
Some of the important crops that are grown in abundance in the state are (2000-2001):
- Rice- 12458 tonnes
- Wheat- 8000 tonnes
- Ragi
- Jowar- 619 (in thousand) tonnes
- Bajra- 149 (in thousand) tonnes
- Maize- 1581 tonnes of Maize
- Minor Millets-39 (in thousand) tonnes
- Coarse Grain- 2508 tonnes
These states also produces other important cash crops like Groundnut, Pulses, Castor, Sunflower, Cotton, Oilseeds, and Sugarcane which helps the state to earn huge amounts of revenue.
Commercially popular grains such as cotton and soybean were promoted by giving subsidies to farmers but it was soon realized that while commercial crops require huge investments the local varieties do not require any special inputs as all the geographic factors favour their growth.
Growth of indigenous crops also ensure sustainable agriculture which helps maintain ecological balance. We all need to demand local indigenous food grains to thrive healthily in these states.
References:
https://www.mapsofindia.com/andhra-pradesh/economy/agriculture.html
https://archive.india.gov.in/knowindia/state_uts.php?id=2
http://agrocorpglobal.com/recent-trends-in-food-grain-production-in-andhra-pradesh/
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