AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

CEREALS

Rice.

Amongst the food and non-food crops grown in the district, rice occupies the highest portion of the gross cropped area. As per 1961 census, the rice crop occupied 30.18 per cent of the gross cropped area of the district as against 6.67 for the State. In the district, Gadhchiroli, Brahmapuri and Chandrapur tahsils are predominantly rice-growing areas. In 1961-62 they had 76,933.237 hectares (1,90.106 acres). 50,705.132 hectares (1,25,295 acres) and 31,448.149 hectares (77,710 acres) respectively under rice crop. Of these tahsils Gadhchiroli during the period between 1956-57 and 1961-62, occupied the highest portion of the gross cropped area under rice. Sironcha tahsil occupies the fourth place in regard to the area under rice cultivation. One more feature in respect of rice cultivation is that rice occupies in normal years a far larger area than any other crop although in some seasons when the rainfall has been short or uncertain, it has been outstripped by the jowar crop.

Two prominent varieties of the rice crop were commonly grown in the district before 1909 viz., the light (halka) and the heavy (bhari). The light being an early variety matures quickly with a little supply of water. Heavy rice on the other hand, while it needs more water and takes longer to mature, ripens when the weather is settled and also gives a larger outturn than the light rice variety.

About the methods of rice cultivation the old gazetteer of the district has the following to say—" In the khalsa portion of the district there are three distinct methods of rice cultivation, viz.. rohna, by transplantation, autia, by sowing broadcast, and mulka or kaorak, by previous germination. In all three systems alike, embanked land only is employed [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Chanda District, Vol. A., 1909, P. 164.]".

The method by transplantation was usually employed where irrigation was available. A small plot generally about one-twentieth of an acre was selected for raising seedlings of paddy crop. After sufficient manuring it was sown broadcast in the second week of June and scarified by means of the wakhar. Transplantation in a normal year was usually done shortly after the middle of July and lasted till Pola. The embanked fields or dholis were worked up in to a thick pasty mud by repeated ploughings. This done, the seedlings or about one foot in height were transplanted in the dholis. One hand-weeding and light showers after transplantation helped in giving good results.

Another method viz., broadcasting was followed in two ways. In the first, the seed was sown before the rains, while in the second the preliminary showers were awaited. The first was known as dry method. In either case, the seed was broadcast by hand and covered by drawing a harrow over it. This practice was largely followed in the zamindaris.

Under the method of previous germination the land was usually prepared by three or four ploughings with the nagar as for transplantation, but the sowing and subsequent operations followed the broadcast method. The special feature of this system was that the seeds were made to germinate previous to sowing by soaking them in water for twelve hours and then letting them stand for another twenty-four hours.

Of the method of cultivation of the crop now followed in the district, transplanting is largely accepted. In the month of June seed-beds are prepared and seeds are broadcast. The seedlings due to the moisture they get from the subsequent monsoon showers vigorously come up and they are transplanted in the puddled land when they are about a foot in height towards the end of July. Sometimes this transplanting goes on till the first week of August. During August and September hand-weedings are carried out. The early varieties are harvested towards the end of September. This harvesting and threshing is continued till October end. The late varieties are harvested and threshed during November, December and January.

Jowar.

Next to rice, jowar has been the most widely sown open-field crop in the district. Till 1909 there were two general classes, the kharif jowar and the rabi jowar recognised in the district. The kharif jowar was the more widely sown and was found in numerous varieties, differing from each other in colour, shape, hardness of grain and outturn. Of these ringni was the only variety of the spring crop. The kharif jowar was usually sown in July and in any case not later than the middle of August. About four pailis of seed per acre was sown and in sowing, either the sarta or tifan was employed. Generally one weeding was given. It was cut towards the end of December or early in January. The standard outturn was then fixed at 600 lbs. per acre which was, as a result of experiments carried on, raised to 650 lbs. The crop did almost well on good soils such as kanhar or bersi and also on inferior soils such as khardi and wardi.

Ringni jowar was commonly grown as a spring crop in rice tracts. Its cultivation differed little from that of the kharif variety except in the matter of times and seasons. It was generally sown in October and cut in January and February. It then gave an average yield of some 500 lbs. per acre. The grain was rather hard and often coarse. This variety used to sustain drought. Both kharif and rabi varieties of jowar were liable to smut, which turns the grains to a fine black powder.

The Sironcha Jowar distinguished itself in various respects from the varieties found in rest of the district. Several features. however, distinguished the cultivation of Sironcha tahsil sharply from the other types prevailing in the district. In the case of jowar for instance, this tahsil had its own variety which took its name from the tahsil. The Sironcha jowar appeared in nine varieties, the bhuttas varying considerably in colour and shape, some being red and other black, but all alike were prolific in the extreme. The crop was usually sown in September after the floods had subsided, and cut in February or March, Some-time mug or cotton was mixed with it. The outturn then ranged from 2,000 lbs. per acre on the best soils to 700 lbs. on the worst, Mr. Hemingway then estimated that a standard of 1,500 lbs, would not be outside the mark,

Even at present rice and jowar still dominate the cropping pattern of the district. Jowar occupied 30.02 per cent (1961 Census) of the gross cropped area of the district as against 30.95 per cent for the State. Variations were, however, found in the cultivated area of jowar from tahsil to tahsil in the district. Thus in Chandrapur, Rajura and Warora tahsils jowar occupied 45.14. 39.73 and 34.96 per cent of the gross cropped area respectively. The other three tahsils. viz., Sironcha, Brahmapuri and Gadhchiroli had 26.56, 16.64 and 13.21 per cent of the gross cropped area, under jowar.

For sowing kharif jowar, the land is usually kept ready by the end of June at the latest. Two to three harrowings are given before the monsoon showers. Sowing is done in June-July on a variety of soils ranging from light type to clayey loam and the heavy black soil. One hand weeding and about two bullock interculturings are given when the crop is about ten inches high. The kharif jowar is ready for harvest by about November-December. It is cut by sickle close to the ground and then exposed to the sun for about two to three days when the earheads are cut off and carried to the threshing floor. The grains are separated by threshing and winnowing.

For growing rabi crop in the district, the land is kept ready by ploughing and giving two or three harrowings. The rabi seed is drilled during September-October. Hand weeding and interculturings are given when the crop is about 6 to 10 inches high. In harvesting, the plants are cut close to the ground. The earheads are then cut and threshed in the threshing yard, The statement below gives the production and outturn of kharif and rabi jowar in metric tonnes in the district during the years 1960-61,1961-62,1962-63:—

*Figures in brackets are in tons. Yield rate is in lbs.

It will thus be seen that the production of kharif jowar decreased from 22,961.600 metric tonnes (22,600 tons) in 1960-61 to 18,796.000 metric tonnes (18,500 tons) in 1962-63. The yield rate per acre also decreased to 400 lbs. as against 680 lbs. in 1960-61. The production of rabi jowar on the other hand has increased from 68,783.200 metric tonnes (67,700 tons) in 1960-61 to 81,788.000 metric tonnes (60,500 tons) in 1962-63 and the yield rate increased from 371 lbs. in 1960-61 to 463 in 1962-63.

Wheat.

The old gazetteer of the district mentions about the cultivation of wheat crop in Chanda district in 1909. Wheat was then grown mostly in Warora and Brahmapuri tahsils, In Warora, the tenants used to grow wheat on that portion of a field which lay about the site of the previous year's mandwa, and so secured the fertilising effect of the manure of the cattle which were picketed there during the open seasons. In Brahmapuri tahsil, the crop was produced in embanked land. The seed was generally sown late in October or early in November, and the crop was cut in February or March, The standard outturn then recorded was 580 lbs.

Now wheat is grown almost all over the district. Of the six tahsils, Warora occupies the highest acreage under the crop, and next in order come the tahsils of Brahmapuri, Chandrapur, Rajura, Gadhchiroli and Sironcha. The average acreage under wheat in the district for three years from 1957-58 to 1959-60 was 5.62 per cent of the gross cropped area as against 4.68 for the State. The methods of cultivation of the crop adopted now in the district include such operations as harrowing, ploughing, sowing, harvesting and threshing. The seed is sown in October after land is brought to fine tilth by harrowing and ploughing. The sowing operation is sometimes carried on till the middle of November. The crop gets ready for harvesting by the end of February. The threshing and winnowing operations are done in April.

Maize.

Maize is another cereal crop grown in the district. Its cultivation is, however, concentrated in Sironcha tahsil. It is also produced in Gadhchiroli and Chandrapur tahsils. The remaining tahsils account for a very negligible area under this crop. In Sironcha, Gadhchiroli and Chandrapur tahsils the crop was grown over an area of 1,362.056 hectares (3,341 acres), 341.960 hectares (845 acres) and 276.400 hectares (683 acres), respectively in 1961-62. The crop when sown in well drained easy working, deep alluvial loams and red loams which are deep and free from coarse materials gives best results. It is generally grown in kharif season. The land is well ploughed and harrowed prior to the monsoon and farmyard manure is added to soil. The seed is sown after the first showers of the monsoon. The crop when sown alone grows quickly and gets ready for harvesting after about four months. The cobs are cut off the standing stalks. The heads are eaten parched or boiled while green. The ripe grain is parched and made into lahis and sometimes after grinding is used as flour.

Sometimes the crop is grown as a hot weather crop but then it is mainly produced for its green heads. Thus the crop sown in February is ready for harvest in May.

Kodra.

The concentration of the cultivation of kodra crop is one of the several features which distinguish the cultivation of Gadhchiroli tahsil sharply from the other types prevailing in the district. Between 1956-57 and 1961-62, except for few acres in Sironcha tahsil, the crop was produced only in Gadhchiroli tahsil.

The kodra crop can be grown even in the poorest soils and hence it is extensively cultivated on murmadi land in the tahsil. It is a rainfed crop. The crop is sown in July and harvested in November when it is cut close to the ground, tied into bundles and dried for about a week. The bundles are then stacked near the threshing yard where after some time they are threshed. The newly harvested grain is said to be powerfully narcotic and is consumed mostly by the hill tribes.

The table Nos. 9 and 10 give tahsil-wise area under cereals and the outturn in metric tonnes.

TABLE No. 9

TAHSILWISE AREA UNDER CEREALS IN CHANDRAPUR DISTRICT FROM
1956-57 TO 1961-62.

Area in hectares*

*Figures in brackets Indicate area in acres.

TABLE No. 9-contd

Area in hectares*

*Figures in brackets Indicate area in acres.

TABLE No. 9-contd

Area in hectares.*

*Figures in brackets indicate area in acres.

Area in hectares.*

*Figures in brackets indicate area in acres.

TABLE No. 10

TAHSIL-WISE OUTTURN OF CEREALS IN CHANDRAPUR DISTRICT FROM 1956-57 TO 1963-64.

Figures in metric tonnes*

*Figures in brackets indicate outturn in tonnes.

TABLE No. 10—contd

Figures in metric tonnes*

*Figures in brackets indicate outturn in tonnes

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