AGRICULTURE AND IRRIGATION

FOOD CROPS

Rice, ragi and kodra constitute the cereals and val, tur, mug (green gram) and udid (black gram), the pulses of the district. Rice alone occupies roundabout eighty per cent of the total area under cereals. More than three-fifths of the area under pulses is under the cultivation of val. Mug (green gram), tur and udid (black gram) are equally prominent among the pulses grown in the district. Betel-nut and chillies are the only condiments and spices. Of these, the latter occupies more than half the area under condiments and spices. Mango shares nearly two-third of the total acreage under fruits, leaving only a small area for the cultivation of banana and miscellaneous fresh fruits. Almost half the area- under vegetables is occupied by brinjal, tomato and sweet potato, and the remaining half, by onion, radish, cabbage and kharbuj (musk melon) among other vegetables. The area under sugar crops seems to be insignificant. The following table shows the distribution of various food crops in the district, in 1958-59:—

TABLE No. 15

AREA UNDER FOOD CROPS IN KOLABA (1958-59)

Mangaon, Mahad, Alibag, Panvel, Pen, Roha and Karjat occupy most of the area under cereals, while Mangaon, Roha and Mahad have a large area under pulses. The cultivation of oil seeds and condiments and spices does not appear to have favoured the district. Fruits and vegetables, too indicate similar trends as Sudhagad, Khalapur, Mahad, Karjat and Poladpur are found to share, each up to ten acres of cultivation under these food crops. This can be easily explained by the poor irrigation facilities obtraining in the district. The sugar-cane crop appears to have centred around Shriwardhan, Mhasla and Alibag which together occupy more than ninety per cent of the total area under the crop. The following table gives taluka-wise distribution of food crops in the district, in 1958-59:—

TABLE No. 16

AREA UNDER FOOD CROPS IN KOLABA DISTRICT (1958-59).

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