Rice Bowl of India: Cropping Pattern of Chhattisgarh

Prerequisites

• Climate and Soils of Chhattisgarh: monsoon rain and Kanhar–Dorsa–Matasi–Bhata soils explain the whole cropping pattern
• Physiographic Divisions: the plain, the northern hills and the Bastar plateau
• Agriculture in India: kharif, rabi and zaid seasons nationally

The Hook: Twenty-One Quintals an Acre

Why it matters: Prelims asks the GI-tagged rice varieties, the meaning of utera, the main rabi crop and which crops belong to which region. Mains GS-III asks about paddy mono-cropping, procurement economics and crop diversification.

Why “Rice Bowl of India” (धान का कटोरा)

1. Paddy dominates the kharif season. Paddy covers the large majority of the kharif area, about 3.7 million hectares by commonly cited estimates, roughly four-fifths of the kharif sown area. Exact figures vary by year.
2. Climate and soil suit rice. Most of the state’s annual rain falls between June and September, and the clayey Kanhar and Dorsa soils of the plain hold standing water in bunded fields (मेड़ वाले खेत).
3. Varietal wealth. Chhattisgarh is one of the richest reservoirs of traditional rice diversity. Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur holds a rice germplasm collection of over 23,000 accessions (23,250 as reported), among the largest in the country. Much of it builds on the collection work of rice scientist Dr. R. H. Richharia, who gathered many thousands of local varieties in the region.
4. Procurement system. The state buys paddy directly from registered farmers through cooperative societies, then mills it for the public distribution system and the central pool. This assured market keeps paddy the safest choice for a farmer.

The Cropping Calendar

Crops beyond paddy

Utera (उतेरा): Relay Cropping in Standing Paddy

Utera is the traditional Chhattisgarh practice of broadcasting the seed of a second crop into the standing paddy crop, a week or two before the paddy is harvested. The seed germinates on the moisture left in the soil and grows after the paddy is cut, with no ploughing and no irrigation.

• Typical utera crops: lathyrus (teora / tiwra, तिवड़ा), linseed, gram, lentil, urad and moong.
• Best soils: the clayey, moisture-retentive Kanhar and Dorsa lowlands.
• Why it matters: it raises cropping intensity on rain-fed land at almost no cost, adds a pulse to the diet, and fixes nitrogen in the soil.

Rice Diversity and GI Tags

Paddy Procurement: The Economics

Details of the scheme are in Agricultural Schemes in Chhattisgarh.

Analysis: Strengths and Problems (Mains material)

Strengths

1. Food security and income: assured procurement gives farmers price certainty and has expanded registered paddy area.
2. Genetic wealth: thousands of traditional rice types are a resource for climate-resilient, aromatic and nutrient-dense breeding.
3. Low-cost systems such as utera and millet farming in tribal areas.

Problems

1. Mono-cropping: paddy-after-paddy depletes soil health, raises pest pressure and keeps cropping intensity low.
2. Rain dependence: most paddy is rain-fed, so a delayed monsoon or a long dry spell cuts yields, especially in the western plain.
3. Low productivity: state rice yields are below those of irrigated states such as Punjab or Andhra Pradesh, because of upland fields, limited irrigation and low input use.
4. Fiscal burden: a price far above MSP, plus surplus paddy beyond central-pool needs, strains the state budget and storage.
5. Small holdings and tribal uplands: most farmers are small and marginal; tribal upland farmers benefit less from procurement.

Way forward: diversify to pulses, oilseeds, maize and millets on uplands; extend protective irrigation; revive utera; promote aromatic and GI rice for premium markets; link millets to processing and nutrition schemes.

Memory Tricks

Don’t Confuse

Common Mistakes

Practice

These are original practice questions in CGPSC style, not previous-year questions.

Level 1: Foundation

1. The traditional practice of broadcasting lathyrus or linseed seed into a standing paddy crop is called ________.
2. The first rice variety of Chhattisgarh to receive a GI tag is ________, from ________ district.
3. The leading rabi crop of Chhattisgarh by area is ________.

Level 2: Prelims MCQs

Q1. Consider the following statements about utera cropping in Chhattisgarh:

1. Seeds of the second crop are sown into the standing paddy crop before its harvest.
2. It depends on canal irrigation in the rabi season.
3. Lathyrus (teora) is a common utera crop.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only (b) 1 and 3 only (c) 2 and 3 only (d) 1, 2 and 3

Q2. Match List-I (Rice variety / feature) with List-II (Associated area or fact):

(a) A-3, B-1, C-2 (b) A-1, B-3, C-2 (c) A-2, B-1, C-3 (d) A-3, B-2, C-1

Q3. Under the Krishak Unnati Yojana (as of kharif 2025-26), up to how many quintals of paddy per acre does Chhattisgarh buy at ₹3,100 per quintal?

(a) 15 (b) 18 (c) 20 (d) 21

Q4. Which of the following is the leading rabi crop of Chhattisgarh by area?

(a) Wheat (b) Gram (c) Mustard (d) Sugarcane

Q5. Kodo, kutki and ragi in Chhattisgarh are mainly grown in:

(a) the irrigated canal command of the Mahanadi plain (b) the tribal uplands of Bastar and the northern hills (c) the Kanhar lowlands as rabi crops (d) river-bed (zaid) cultivation

Level 3: Mains Answer Writing

Q1. Why is Chhattisgarh called the “Rice Bowl of India”? (60 words)

Q2. “Paddy mono-cropping is both the strength and the weakness of Chhattisgarh’s agriculture.” Discuss, and suggest a strategy for diversification. (150–200 words)

Quick Revision Table

Key Takeaways

What’s Next

• Agro-Climatic Zones of Chhattisgarh: why the cropping pattern differs from plain to plateau
• Irrigation Projects of Chhattisgarh: the water behind the second crop
• Agricultural Schemes in Chhattisgarh: Krishak Unnati Yojana and diversification incentives
• Agricultural Economy of India: MSP, procurement and food security nationally
• Forests, Wildlife, National Parks and Sanctuaries: forest produce, the other livelihood of tribal uplands