AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

AGRICULTURAL SEASONS

All the cultivable land in the district falls under two main categories, namely Jirayat (dry crop land) and bagayat (irrigated land). Dry crop lands on account of their dependence on the monsoon are further divided into kharip (early monsoon) and rabi (late monsoon) lands.

Kharip crops come to maturity with the rains of south-west monsoon. Kharip season commences in June and terminates in September and draws its rainfall mainly from the south-west monsoon and from the ante-monsoon showers in May. On the whole the rainfall received in this season is fairly distributed. In 1956-57, the total area under kharip crops was 19,17,917 acres. The main kharip crops of the district are cotton, jowar (kharip), bajri ragi, Italian millets, kodra, vari, sava, maize, turi, kulith, udid, chavali, groundnut, sesamum, sugarcane, chillies, brinjals, bhendi and leafy vegetables. Sowing and reaping of these crops usually coincides with the commencement and termination of the monsoon, respectively. Sowing is generally done between mid-June and mid-July and harvesting between the middle of September and the end of November.

Rabi crops occupied an area of 1,78,389 acres in 1956-57. The crops grown in this season are wheat, jowar, (dadar), gram, coriander (main crop), tobacco and vegetables. The moisture retained by the soil from monsoon showers, dew and rain received from north-east monsoon bring these crops to maturity, though sometimes irrigation has also to be resorted to.

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