In Indian agriculture, farming completely depends on the changing weather and seasons. Because of this, the government and farmers categorize agricultural crops into three distinct seasons: Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid. Let's look at the most water-dependent of them all—the Kharif Crop.
Rice is the most important Kharif crop in India. Because of the heavy monsoon rains in states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, India is the second-largest producer of rice in the entire world (just behind China).
Kharif crops are those agricultural crops which are sown (planted) at the very beginning of the rainy (Monsoon) season because they require massive amounts of hot weather and heavy rainfall to grow properly.
Origin: The word 'Kharif' is an Arabic word which literally means 'Autumn' (because these crops are harvested in the autumn season).
Because they need flooded fields and lots of water, the classic examples include:
The opposite is a **Rabi Crop** (like Wheat or Mustard). Rabi crops are sown in the dry, cold Winter season (October/November) because they require a cool climate to grow, and are harvested in the Spring (March/April).
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