The Gazetteers Department

The food and non-food crops mainly constitute the total cropped area. They accounted for 761974.711 hectares [These figures include areas sown more than once.] (18,82,879 acres) in 1961-62. In the same year the total uncultivated area was 757665.674 hectares (18,72,231 acres). This means that about 50 per cent of the total geographical area of the district remained uncultivated. The corresponding figures for the year 1952-53 were 738983.345 hectares [These figures include areas sown more than once.] (18,26,066 acres) and 926654.859 hectares [These figures include areas sown more than once.] (22,89,812 acres). The proportions of areas under important food and nonfood crops for the district and each of its talukas are shown below compared with the corresponding figures for Maharashtra. All the figures are averages for the three years from 1957-58 to 1959-60.

The important crops grown in the district, include jowar, bajri, wheat, groundnut, cotton, gram, mug etc. Of the two categories viz., food and non-Food crops, food crops account for 70.8 per cent as against 69.88 per cent, for the whole of the State of Maharashtra. Among the food crops jowar occupies the highest percentage viz., 23.61 of the gross cropped area in the district. Jowar is followed by bajri, pulses, wheat, rice in the order of priority. A very small acreage accounts for the cultivation of condiments and spices and fruits and vegetables.

The importance of the various crops in the agricultural pattern of the district, the area covered by them, their methods of cultivation, the rainfall required by them and such other details are given in the following account. Information about the pests and diseases of the respective crops produced in the district is given separately.

TABLE No. 11

PERCENTAGE OF GROSS CROPPED AREA IN DHULIA DISTRICT

Details of cropped area	Maharashtra	Dhulia District	Akrani Taluka	Akkal. kuwa Taluka	Taloda Taluka	Shahada Taluka
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
Gross cropped area	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Total area under food crops	69.88	70.80	96.75	74.65	80.66	68.99
Area under cereals	52.97	56.11	83.66	66.94	65.56	50.88
Rice	6.67	4.10	3.73	18.83	5.94	1.39
Wheat	4.68	5.36	0.20	3.62	13.48	11.64
Jowar	30.95	23.61	37.02	28.45	41.47	34.05
Bajri	9.42	17.59	15.19	0.47	0.23	3.42
Other cereals	1.25	5.45	27.52	15.27	4.44	0.38
Area under pulses	10.69	12.68	12.41	7.40	2.15	14.57
Sugarcane	0.63	0.24	0.07	—	0.20	0.33
Other food crops	5.59	1.77	0.61	0.31	2.75	3.21
Area under non-food crops	30.12	29.20	3.25	25.35	19.34	31.01
Area under oilseeds	8.18	19.19	2.44	7.50	14.46	19.57
Groundnut	6.11	17.48	1.08	2.69	13.56	18.16
Other oilseeds	2.07	1.71	1.36	4.81	0.90	1.41
Cotton	13.62	9.41	—	17.33	4.25	10.96
Tobacco	0.12	Nil.	0.13	—	—	—
Other non- food crops including fodder crops	8.20	0.60	0.68	0.52	0.63	0.48

*District Census Handbook, Dhulia, 1961 p. 34.

contd.

Details of cropped area	Nandurbar Taluka	Shirpur Taluka	Sindkhed Taluka	Nawapur Taluka	Sakri Taluka	Dhulia Taluka
(1)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)	(13)
Gross cropped area	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00
Total area under food crops	77.56	57.38	61.52	74.89	77.95	64.39
Area under cereals	56.30	44.41	48.07	60.88	61.60	55.23
Rice	2.77	0.44	0.12	21.68	3.40	0.37
Wheat	8.90	3.66	4.68	1.34	2.94	3.21
Jowar	29.52	28.44	22.08	19.22	10.38	18.86
Bajri	12.07	11.60	21.11	0.26	33.73	32.68
Other cereals	3.04	0.27	0.08	18.38	11.15	0.11
Area under pulses	17.03	12.48	11.19	13.68	14.82	7.76
Sugarcane	0.08		0.03	—	0.74	0.27
Other food crops	4.15	0.49	2.23	0.33	0.79	1.13
Area under non-food crops	22.44	42.62	38.48	25.11	22.05	35.61
Area under oilseeds	19.25	19.25	26.52	4.90	19.44	26.11
Groundnut	18.62	15.17	24.19	3.36	17.66	25.29
Other oilseeds	0.63	4.08	2.33	1.54	1.78	0.82
Cotton	2.64	23.10	11.82	16.75	2.44	9.30
Tobacco	—	—	—	—	—	—
Other non. food crops including fodder crops	0.55	0.27	0.14	3.46	0.17	0.20

*District Census Handbook, Dhulia, 1961 p. 34.

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