Question

Which of the following is not a cash crop ?
A. Tobacco
B. Cotton
C. Coffee
D. Bajra
E. Tea

Answer 1

Hint: Cash crops are those crops which are grown by the farmers so that they can sell it in the market and get profit out of it. These crops are grown for their commercial value and not for personal use.
For example- Jute, sugarcane spices, are cash crops.

Complete Answer:
(A) Tobacco - It is a very profitable cash crop. Farmers grow this crop for commercial purposes and not for their personal use. The annual production of tobacco in India is about 700 million kg. As it is a cash crop, this option is incorrect.

(B) Cotton - It is an important fibre and cash crop that plays a dominant role in India's industrial and agricultural economy. India is the second largest cotton producer in the world. India is known to be the original home to a cotton plant.

(C) Coffee - India contributes about 4% of the world’s total coffee production. It ranks 6th in the world in its production. At Present, Karnataka alone produces more than half of the total coffee production in India. It grows well in laterite soil. It is also a cash crop and hence this option is incorrect.

(D) Bajra - Cereals and pulses are generally known as food crops (subsistence crops). Cereals include Wheat, Rice, Maize, Bajra, jowar. Pulses include gram, masur, moong, arhar etc. Therefore Bajra is a subsistence crop and not a cash crop. This option is correct.

(E) Tea - It is an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British.
The tea plant grows well in tropical humid and subtropical humid climates endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soils, rich in humus and organic matter. Assam, hills of darjeeling, West Bengal, Tamilnadu and Kerala are major tea producing states of India. Tea is also a cash crop, hence this option is incorrect.

Hence the correct answer is option D.

Note: Agriculture in the country plays a very important role in the Indian economy. It is the backbone of our country. 70% of the Indian population depends on agriculture for food and money. It provides the majority occupation in the rural areas. Crops which are grown for a producer's own livestock or as food for his family are known as subsistence crops. e.g. wheat, rice, maize etc.