Agro climatic zones of lndia – CGPSC ACF

An agro-climatic zone is a land unit uniform in respect of climate and length of growing
period (LGP) which is climatically suitable for a certain range of crops and cultivars (FAO, 1983).
Agro-climatic zones

Agro climatic zones of lndia

Classification by Planning Commission

Planning Commission of India (1989) made an attempt to delineate the country into
different agro climatic regions based on homogeneity in rainfall, temperature, topography,
cropping and farming systems and water resources. India is divided into 15 agro-climatic regions.

1. Western Himalayan zone
   This zone consists of three distinct sub-zones of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
   and Uttar Pradesh hills. The region consists of skeletal soils of cold region, podsolic mountain meadow soils and hilly brown soils. Lands of the region have steep slopes in undulating terrain. Soils are generally silty loams and these are prone to erosion hazards.

2. Eastern Himalayan zone
   Sikkim and Darjeeling hills, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura,
   Mizoram, Assam and Jalpaiguri and Coochibihar districts of West Bengal fall under this region,
   with high rainfall and high forest cover. Shifting cultivation is practiced in nearly one-third of the
   cultivated area and this has caused denudation and degradation of soils with the resultant heavy
   runoff, massive soil erosion and floods in lower reaches and basins.
3. Lower Gangetic Plains zone
   This zone consists of West Bengal-lower Gangetic plain region. The soils are mostly
   alluvial and are prone to floods.
4. Middle Gangetic Plains zone
   This zone consists of 12 districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and 27 districts of Bihar plains.
   This zone has a geographical area of 16 million hectares and rainfall is high. About 39% of gross
   cropped area is irrigated and the cropping intensity is 142%.
5. Upper Gangetic Plains zone
   This zone consists of 32 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Irrigation is through canals and tube
   wells. A good potential for exploitation of ground water exists.
6. Trans-Gangetic Plains zone
   This zone consists of Punjab, Haryana, Union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh and
   Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan. The major characteristics of this area are: highest net sown
   area, highest irrigated area, high cropping intensity and high groundwater utilization.
7. Eastern Plateau and Hills zone
   This zone consists of eastern part of Madhya Pradesh, southern part of West Bengal and
   most of inland Orissa. The soils are shallow and medium in depth and the topography is
   undulating with a slope of 1-10%. Irrigation is through tanks and tube wells.
8. Central Plateau and Hills zone
   This zone comprises of 46 district of Madhya Pradesh, part of Uttar Pradesh and
   Rajasthan. The topography is highly variable nearly 1/3rd of the land is not available for
   cultivation. Irrigation and cropping intensity are low. 75% of the area is rainfed grown with low
   value cereal crops. There is an intensive need for alternate high value crops including horticultural
   crops.
9. Western Plateau and Hills zone
   This zone comprises the major part of Maharastra, parts of Madhya Pradesh and one
   district of Rajasthan. The average rainfall of the zone is 904 mm. The net sown area is 65% and
   forests occupy 11%. The irrigated area is only 12.4% with canals being the main source.
10. Southern Plateau and Hills zone
    This zone comprises 35 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu which are
    typically semi-arid zones. Dryland farming is adopted in 81% of the area and the cropping
    intensity is 111 percent.
11. East Coast Plains and Hills zone
    This zone comprises of east coast of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. Soils are
    mainly alluvial and coastal sands. Irrigation is through canals and tanks.
12. West Coast Plains and Ghats zone
    This zone comprises west coast of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharastra and Goa
    with a variety of crop patterns, rainfall and soil types.
13. Gujarat Plains and Hills zone This zone consists of 19 districts of Gujarat. This zone is arid with low rainfall in mostparts and only 32.5% of the area is irrigated largely through wells and tube wells.

14. Western Dry zone
    This zone comprises nine districts of Rajasthan and is characterized by hot sandy desert,
    erratic rainfall, high evaporation, scanty vegetation. The ground water is deep and often brackish.
    Famine and drought are common features of the region.
15. Islands zone
    This zone covers the island territories of Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadeep which are
    typically equatorial with rainfall of 3000 mm spread over eight to nine months. It is largely a
    forest zone with undulated lands.

Classification by ICAR

The State Agricultural Universities were advised to divide each state into sub-zones, under
the National Agricultural Research Project (NARP) under ICAR. Based on the rainfall pattern,
cropping pattern and administrative units, 127 agro-climatic zones are classified. The zones of
each state are given below.

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