In news– The Union Agriculture Minister addressed the 4th National Conference on Agriculture for Summer(Zaid) Campaign 2021-22 recently.
About the Conference-
The objective of Zaid conference is to review and assess the crop performance during the preceding crop seasons and fix crop-wise targets for summer season in consultation with State Governments.
Zaid Crops in India-
- Zaid, also called grishma kal crops, are sown between March-June, the intervening period between Rabi (winter) harvest and Kharif (monsoon) sowing.
- These crops require warm, dry weather as a vital growth period and longer day length for flowering.
- Summer crops not only provide extra income but also create employment opportunities in between rabi and kharif for the farmers, thereby increasing the crop intensity.
- Apart from fruits and Vegetables, some states grow summer rice in an area of about 20-30 lakh hectares in an overlapping season.
- The area under cultivation of zaid crops including rice has increased progressively 2.7 times from 29.71 lakh hectares in 2017-18 to 80.46 lakh hectares in 2020-21.
- The projected coverage of zaid (summer) crops, excluding rice, is 52.72 lakh hectares during the March-May 2021 period, with the maximum area to come from Gujarat and West Bengal.
Limitations of Summer crops-
- Growing season is short (March-May) .
- Less moisture demanding crops only.
- Grown in assured irrigation facilities.
- Stray & wild animals cause damage.
- Inadequate thrust on summer season area coverage.
- Season specific varieties needed.
Agricultural seasons in India-
Following are three major cropping seasons in a year, in India:
- Kharif– It covers June- to September months and the important crops are Rice, Maize, Jute, Sugarcane, Cotton, Millet. Kharif crops need a lot of water and hot weather for proper growth.
- Rabi- It covers November-March months and important crops are Wheat, barley, mustard, sesame and peas and Tobacco. These crops require a warm climate for germination and maturation of seeds and need a cold environment for their growth.
- Zaid- It covers March-June and important crops are Fruits, Vegetables.
Source: PIB
