Groundnut
Also called: Peanut · Topic: Major Crops of India: Distribution and Conditions · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 4 "Agriculture"; Class 12, Ch 3 "Land Resources and Agriculture"
Meaning
Groundnut is an oilseed, which means it is grown for edible oil. It is mainly a rainfed kharif crop of the drylands. In the south it is also grown in rabi. It covers about 3.6% of the cropped area and gives about half of India's main oilseeds. India grew 18.8% of the world's groundnut (2018). Yields are higher in Tamil Nadu, where part of the crop is irrigated.
Example
Gujarat is the top groundnut producer, followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu (2019-20). The dry Saurashtra region of Gujarat is a major groundnut area.
Don't confuse with
- Rapeseed and mustard: these are rabi oilseeds of the north-west, and two-thirds of their area is irrigated. Groundnut is mainly a rainfed kharif oilseed, led by Gujarat.