RAS question
Which crop has the largest area under cultivation in Rajasthan?
Correct answer: (C) Bajra (Pearl Millet).
Bajra, or pearl millet, has the largest area under cultivation in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Bajra (pearl millet) is the right answer because it is Rajasthan's widest-area crop and the state's main kharif crop in dry tracts. The Rajasthan Agricultural Competitiveness Project report states that Rajasthan has the highest area under bajra and the highest bajra production in India, with about 4.43 million hectares under the crop in 2013-14. This fits the crop's geography: bajra is highly suitable for semi-arid zones, and the report identifies the semi-arid and arid parts of western Rajasthan as important for its cultivation. Wheat, mustard and jowar are important crops in Rajasthan, but the area test here points to bajra.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Wheat is Rajasthan's major rabi crop, but bajra has the largest cultivated area.
- (B) Mustard is a major oilseed in Rajasthan, but bajra covers more area.
- (D) Jowar is another coarse cereal, but its cultivated area is smaller than bajra's.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan agriculture under crop distribution and agro-climatic adaptation. It recurs in RAS because bajra links cropping pattern, kharif seasonality and the arid-western Rajasthan environment in one factual point.