The results of a survey conducted in 100 villages of 7 districts located in Uttar Pradesh in the central Indo-Gangetic plains on the land cropping pattern and profits to the farmers per unit land and area are presented. It is shown that sugarcane is cultivated in about 19.5% of the land. Rice remains the principal kharif crop in the area, occupying about 76% of land. Conventional rice-wheat/Brassica/legume, rice-potato and rice-mint rotations benefitted farmers to the extent of roughly Rs 30,000 ha−1 year−1. Introduction of new rotations based upon newly available short duration Kosi variety of mint is permitting practice of rice-wheat/Brassica/legume-mint and rice-potato-mint rotations, bringing a profit of approximately Rs 61,000 ha−1 year−1 to the farmers of the area. Future prospects of integration of short duration medicinal and aromatic crops (mediculture) between food grain crops (agriculture) like the above, for the development of agriculture, industry and employment are discussed

Bansal, R. P.

Kalra, A.

Singh, A. K.

Srivastava, R. K.

Sushil Kumar,

Tomar, V. K. S.

English

Publications of the IAS Fellows

RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS 
CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 80, NO. 4, 25 FEBRUARY 2001 563
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.   We are grateful to V. P. Kamboj, Ex 
Director, CDRI, Lucknow for constant guidance, co-operation and 
encouragement during the study. We also thank the staff of MRC for 
technical assistance. 
Received 26 May 2000; revised accepted 6 December 2000 
Higher yields and profits from new 
crop rotations permitting integration 
of mediculture with agriculture in the 
Indo-Gangetic plains 
Sushil Kumar*, R. K. Srivastava, A. K. Singh, 
A. Kalra, V. K. S. Tomar and R. P. Bansal 
Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, PO-CIMAP, 
Lucknow 226 015, India 
The results of a survey conducted in 100 villages of 7 
districts located in Uttar Pradesh in the central 
Indo-Gangetic plains on the land cropping pattern 
and profits to the farmers per unit land and area are 
presented. It is shown that sugarcane is cultivated in 
about 19.5% of the land. Rice remains the principal 
kharif crop in the area, occupying about 76% of 
land. Conventional rice–wheat/Brassica/legume, 
rice–potato and rice–mint rotations benefitted farm-
ers to the extent of roughly Rs 30,000 ha–1 year–1. 
Introduction of new rotations based upon newly 
available short duration Kosi variety of mint is per-
mitting practice of rice–wheat/Brassica/legume–mint 
and rice–potato–mint rotations, bringing a profit of 
approximately Rs 61,000 ha–1 year–1 to the farmers 
of the area. Future prospects of integration of short 
duration medicinal and aromatic crops (medicul-
ture) between food grain crops (agriculture) like the 
above, for the development of agriculture, industry 
and employment are discussed.  
THE Indo-Gangetic plains, through which Himalayan 
rivers, including Ganga and Yamuna flow, comprise 
one of the most agriculturally fertile areas of the world1. 
Before the advent of green revolution, food grains such  
*For correspondence: (e-mail: cimap@satyam.net.in) 
as wheat, rice, Brassica, groundnut, lentil, pea and pi-
geonpea and the industrial plant sugarcane were the 
main crops of the area. Usually one crop, either in win-
ter rabi or in summer kharif was taken in a year. In the 
era of green revolution, the practice of the rice–wheat 
rotation over rabi and kharif seasons proved to be 
highly productive and economically viable2. In this pe-
riod, the cropping of sugarcane, oil seeds and legumes 
became less popular and area under them contracted. In 
the last decade, the economics of rice–wheat rotation 
turned less attractive and farmers began to adopt diverse 
crop rotations, involving seasonal vegetables and indus-
trial crops, mostly in rotation with rice crop. Although 
these developments improved the income of the farmers 
and local employment opportunities, the area under rabi
food grains decreased. New crop rotations that have 
been introduced in the last few years are expected to 
remedy this situation in future3. Reliable current statis-
tics are not available on the land cropping pattern and 
related income/profit to the farmers in this important 
geographical region of Indian agriculture. In the present 
work a survey was conducted to elicit the above infor-
mation in an area of the Indo-Gangetic plains spanning 
7 districts of Uttar Pradesh (UP). The present studies 
have shown that in the Indo-Gangetic area surveyed, 
during the last three years about 76% of the cropped 
area was under rice. In the rice-cropped area, rabi
grains occupied 52% of land, mint or vegetables 19% of 
land, rabi grains followed by mint 18% of land, and 
potato and other vegetables followed by mint 11% of 
land. The relative profits per hectare were Rs 24,000 
(24 K) from rice–rabi grain rotation, 43 K from rice– 
mint/vegetable rotation, 58 K from rice–rab grain–mint 
rotation and 74 K from rice–vegetable–mint rotation.  
Three districts Barabanki, Lucknow and Sitapur in the 
southern part and four districts Udhamsingh Nagar, 
Rampur, Badaun and Moradabad in the northern part of
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CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 80, NO. 4, 25 FEBRUARY 2001 564
Table 1.   List of the villages surveyed in seven districts located in UP in the Indo-Gangetic plain 
District Village 
 
Barabanki Mati, Kurouli, Chadanpurva, Nargishmau, Moradabad, Akhchharipurva, Saihara, Raniganj,  
  Bhaggamau, Raghai, Sadamau, Chhatauna, Rendua, Garahi, Naseerpur, Ramnagar,  
  Akberpur, Gandouli, Dalyanpur and Bambhouralodi 
 
Lucknow Jainabad, Goila, Chinhat, Khandar, Kagikhera, Thakurpur, Badeha, Naseerpur, Utradhauna,  
  Palia Rampurva, Semara, Tewaripur, Rajouli and Baggiroad 
 
Sitapur Shekhpur, Alhana, Manpur, Kalyanpur, Ameerpur, Gauria Ahrori, Kamalpur, Guerep ra,  
  Jodhpur and Mahmoodnagar 
 
Udhamsingh Nagar  Chattarpur, Fauzi ka Matkota, Milak Nou, Baghwala, Ganeshpur, Motipur, Milak  
  Navkharid, Barkheri Adarshnagar, Dineshpur and Malsa 
 
Rampur Hasalatpur, Padampur, Baggifarm, Milakkhanam, Similia, Majara Ameer Khan, Udairaj  
  Mathiya, Jhuthiya, Murajpur, Sewar, Moga Farm Salehpur, Vilashpur, Isarpur, Lalpur,  
  Magharanaina Nagla and Saraigate Rampur 
 
Badaun Daharpur, Papad, Lakhatpur, Dhaka, Beladandi, Tikra Kanakpur, Dalunagala, Shayamnr,  
  Kadarabad and Aamgaon 
 
Moradabad Majholi, Nagal sagar, Hariyana, Nagariyagatt, Pura, Raja ka Majoula, Joya, Samthol, 
  Babai, Chandousi, Jatpura, Deengarpur,Amarpur Kasi, Faridpur, Kundarki and Rajabpur 
 
 
Table 2.   Percentage of district-wise area covered under different crop rotations in various districts surveyed in the Indo-Gangetic plains 
 % of cultivated area covered in the district of 
        Mean % area 
       Udhamsingh covered over all 
Crop-rotation Barabanki Lucknow Sitapur Rampur Moradabad Badaun Nagar the districts 
 
Rice–mint 1.5 1.2 4.2 29.2 21.5 9.3 5.6 10.4 
Rice–wheat 35.5 40.5 38.7 42.1 25.4 43.5 31.7 36.8 
Rice–wheat–mint 4.5 1.5 1.2 3.1 5.3 3.2 1.8 2.9 
Rice–potato/other vegetables  5.1 8.0 11.3 0.8 – 1.9 1.7 4.1 
Rice–potato–mint  21.5 19.5 12.2 1.7 1.5 2.0 1.1 8.5 
Rice–Brassica 1.2 1.8 2.4 0.7 1.8 – 2.3 1.5 
Rice–Brassica–mint 10.5 8.5 5.6 8.3 9.8 5.6 10.4 8.4 
Rice–lentil/pea 2.0 2.5 2.9 – – – 1.4 1.3 
Rice–lentil–mint 7.0 5.5 5.1 – – – 0.4 2.5 
Millet–wheat – – 1.1 – 10.3 2.4 0.8 2.0 
Millet–mint – – – – 1.6 – – 0.2 
Ocimum–wheat – – – – – 0.7 – 0.1 
Ocimum–Brassica–mint – – – – – 7.1 – 0.7 
Ocimum–Brassica–wheat  – – – – – 0.7 – 0.1 
Ocimum–potato–mint – – – – – 4.3 0.5 1.0 
Sugarcane 11.2 11.0 15.2 13.0 10.2 19.3 42.3 17.5 
Sugarcane + mint – – – 1.1 12.6 – – 2.0 
 
 
UP were chosen for the survey which was conducted 
between June 1997 and July 2000. A total of 100 vil-
lages were surveyed (see Table 1). In each village up to 
20 farmers were visited in their fields, on 3 to 5 occa-
sions over a 3-year period, to collect information on 
their land area under different crops, varieties/cultivars 
of crops grown, crop rotation and intercropping patterns 
used and crop yields obtained, cultivation costs incurred 
and net return earned per ha. Samples of crops from 
randomly demarcated 1 sqm portions of fields were 
taken to independently assess the yield patterns. Market 
information on the retail rates4 of agricultural inputs and 
wholesale selling rates of crops was used to determine 
the economics of the crops cultivated. 
Table 2 gives summarized information gathered on 
the rotations and intercropping practices used in the 7 
districts of central UP that were surveyed. The agricul-
tural land in the area was being used in 17 distinct pat-
terns of which 6 were being practised in all the districts 
surveyed, altogether over 84% of cultivated land. About
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CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 80, NO. 4, 25 FEBRUARY 2001 565
Table 3.   District-wise net profit per hectare that accrued through different land cropping patterns  used in the Indo-Gangetic plains 
  Mean net 
 Net profit (Rs ha–1 year–1)a to the farmer in the district of profit over all 
Crop-rotation used        the districts 
over one year period Barabanki Lucknow Sitapur Rampur Moradabad Badaun Udhamsingh Nagar (Rs ha–1 year–1) 
 
Rice–mint 49,726 43,621 41,691 42,471 50,231 51,139 49,000 46,839 
Rice–wheat 25,743 22,973 21,773 24,743 25,163 28,135 24,370 24,700 
Rice–wheat–mint 59,703 56,933 55,733 58,703 59,123 62,095 58,330 58,660 
Rice–potato/other vegetables 42,762 37,932 36,722 36,912 – 42,947 41,885 39,860 
Rice–potato–mint 76,722 71,892 70,682 70,872 73,820 76,907 75,845 73,820 
Rice–Brassica 22,597 23,797 22,957 21,381 22,250 – 28,617 23,600 
Rice–Brassica–mint 56,557 57,757 56,917 55,341 56,210 57,561 62,577 57,560 
Rice–lentil/pea 24,654 22,848 22,818 – – – – 23,440 
Rice–lentil–mint 58,614 56,808 56,778 – – – – 57,400 
Millet–wheat  – – – – 22,485 26,915 – 24,700 
Millet–mint – – – – 45,990 47,688 – 46,839 
Ocimum–wheat – – – – – 24,400 – 24,400 
Ocimum–Brassica–mint – – – – – 57,260 – 57,260 
Ocimum–potato–mint – – – – – 73,520 – 73,520 
Ocimum–Brassica–wheat – – – – – 35,900 – 35,900 
Sugarcane 32,873 26,202 30,328 32,782 33,468 33,893 42,331 33,125 
Sugarcane + mint – – – 67,521 68,207 – – 67,864 
aBased on the economics presented in Table 4; –, Crop rotation not used. 
 
 
 
19.5% of the area was devoted to the sugarcane crop. 
The principal summer-monsoon kharif crops were rice 
in about 76%, millet in 2%, and Ocimum (basil) in 2% 
of the remaining area. In rabi winter season, about 
56.4% of the cultivated land was being used to grow 
wheat, Brassica and legumes, in 53.4% after rice and in 
the remaining 3% after millet or basil. About 13.6% of 
the land in rabi season was cropped with vegetables 
(mainly potato), in 12.6% area after rice and in 1% after 
basil crop. The pattern of utilization of fields vacated 
from rice crop was such that the rabi grains (wheat : oil 
seed : legumes :: 28 : 1.2 : 1) were taken in 52% land, 
rabi grains (wheat : oil seed : legume :: 1.2 : 2.8 : 1) 
followed by zaid mint in 18% land, rabi mint or 
vegetables (potato : other vegetables :: 9 : 1) in 19% 
(mint : vegetables :: 1.6 : 1) land and rabi vegetables 
followed by zaid mint in 11% of the land. Most of the 
area after summer millet was occupied by wheat, only 
9% of the millet area was devoted to mint crop in rabi
season. Of the land vacated by rabi crop of basil, about 
5% was used for rabi crops of wheat, 37% for short 
duration Brassica crop followed by rabi mint, about 5% 
for the above with mint in place of wheat, and in 53% 
potato was taken in autumn, followed by rabi wheat. In 
about 12% of the sugarcane area a companion short-
duration crop of menthol mint was being taken, while 
sugarcane crop was in its early stage of development. 
Based on the observations made on crop-wise yields 
and costs of cultivation and selling rates of commodi-
ties, estimates were made of net profits ha–1 year–1 from 
land cropped. These are presented district-wise in 
Table 3. This analysis has made use of the observations 
summarized in the Table 4 on average yield, prevailing 
rates, gross return, cost of cultivation, net returns and 
cost benefit ratio of all the crops of this study grown in 
Indo-Gangetic plains during 1997–2000. The parame-
ters of crop yields and economics were arrived at using 
information gained from the concerned farmers and that 
obtained from the market place. It will be observedthat 
the cost benefit proportions were 1.0 : 1.0 to 1.2 in 
Brassica, potato, pea, wheat and rice and as high as 
1.0 : 2.3 to 2.5 for menthol mint, Ocimum and sugarcane 
by taking the observations given in Tables 3 and 4
together. The conventional rottions currently used in 
the area could be arranged in the following order profit-
wise, per hectare rice–vegetables (Rs 39,860 or 
40 K ha–1) > sugarcane (33 K) > millet–wheat, rice–
wheat, rice–legume and rice–Brassica (25 K). Among the 
conventional rotations, in the rice growing area, rice–
wheat, rice–legume and the rice–Brassica gave more or 
less the same level of profit to the farmers (about 25 K). 
The rice–mint rotation which has been in practice in the 
area for now about more than a decade gave a profit of 
about Rs 46,800 ha–1 (47 K). The sugarcane–mint inter-
cropping which has also been in practice in certain pock-
ets of Indo-Gangetic plains for about a decade gave 
profits in the range of Rs 67,800 ha–1 (68 K). In recent 
years, the introduction of two new varities of mint5,6, 
characterized by early maturity and wide disease toler-
ance, has permitted adoption of some new rotational pat-
terns which have highly increased the profits to the 
farmers3. Some of these new rotations could be arrang d 
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CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 80, NO. 4, 25 FEBRUARY 2001 566
Table 4.   Average yield, prevailing rates, gross return, cost of cultivation, net return and cost benefit ratio of various (sole) crops grown in  
  Indo-Gangetic plains during 1997–2000 
 Economics of production (Rs ha–1) 
 
  Average yield Wholesale rate    Cost: benefit 
Crop (q ha–1)a (Rs q–1) Gross returnb Cost of cultivationc Net return ratio 
 
Paddy (rice) 44.6 500 22,300 10,200 12,100 1:1.2 
Wheat 42.0 550 23,100 10,500 12,600 1:1.2 
Potato  273.3 200 54,660 26,900 27,760 1:1.0 
Lentil 14.7 1200 17,640 6,300 11,340 1:1.8 
Mustard  15.2 1400 21,700 10,200 11,500 1:1.1 
Millet 25.5 800 20,400 8,300 12,100 1:1.5 
Pea 20.0 1000 20,000 9,000 11,000 1:1.2 
Sugarcane  625.0 85 53,125 20,000 33,125 1:2.5 
Ocimum (basil)  0.84d 20,000 16,800 5,000 11,800 1:2.4 
Menthol mint (transplanted)  1.38e 36,000 48,960 15,000 33,960 1:2.3 
Menthol mint (sucker grown)  1.49f 36,000 53,640 18,901 34,739 1:1.8 
aAverage of yields reported by the farmers; bGross return has been calculated taking into considerati  the then prevailing market (anaj mandi) 
price(s) of the crop (s) and actual monies accrued of sale to the farmers; cIncludes manday costs of both family and hired labour engaged, cost 
of tillage, weeding, irrigation, fertilizer, pesticide when applied and harvesting and post harvest value addition where pplicable; d–fAlthough 
multiple cuts can be taken, values were based on single harvest by the farmer. 
 
 
in the following order of profitability: Ocimum–potato–
mint and rice–potato–mint (74 K) > rice–wheat/legume/ 
Brassica–mint and Ocimum–Brassica–mint (57–58 K) > 
millet–mint (47 K). In the new systems being practised 
in this area in last 3 years, the farmers are taking rice or 
basil in the summer monsoon season, then short dura-
tion Brassica or potato in the rabi season, followed by 
mint in the zaid season, with profits in the range of Rs 
55,000 to 75,000 ha–1 year –1 (55 to 75 K). Thus, the 
new crop rotations made possible by the availability of 
early maturing varieties of mints have more than dou-
bled the yearly profits of farmers from a hectare of land 
from Rs 24,700 to 57,000 (25 K to 57 K). Further, the 
additional field work and need for field distillation of 
herbage harvested from mint and basil crops have sub-
stantially increased employment in areas of adoption of 
new crop rotational systems. 
Future R&D and extension work should aim at devel-
opment of rice, wheat and legume varieties that fit the 
new rotations suitably in wider areas of the Indo-
Gangetic plains and at further spread of these technolo-
gies in the area. It appears that integration of a variety 
of short-duration medicinal and aromatic plants between 
the food grain crops can help in the production of high-
value industrial raw materials for pharmaceutical, agri-
chemical, food and cosmetic industries, in additio to 
the production of food grains in desired amounts. This 
kind of development is expected to sustain adequate 
foo production, larger profits to farmers and promote 
rowth of small-scale industries in larger numbers in 
towns and cities creating employment opportunities 
near the villages in large measures.  
 
1. Tata, S. N. and Wadhwani, A. M., Handbook of Agriculture, 
ICAR, New Delhi, 1992.  
2. Prasad, R., Indian Farming, 1996, 46, 39–44. 
3. Kumar, S., Bahl, J. R., Shukla, P., Singh, A., Ram, G., Bansal, 
R. P. and Sharma, S., J. Hortic. Sci. Biotechnol., 1999, 74, 680–
684.  
4. Anon., Vyapar Kesri, 2000, 31, 26–32. 
5. Kumar, S. et al., J. Med. Aromat. Plant Sci., 1997, 19, 729–731. 
6. Kumar, S., Sharma, S. and Kumar, V. S. (eds), CIMAP Newsl., 
1998, 25, 2–3. 
 
 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.  We thank N.K. Patra, J.R. Bahl, Alok 
Krishna and J.P. Singh for their help and co-operation in facilitating 
the survey and experim ntal work and the Government of Uttar 
Pradesh and Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for 
their partial financial support. 
 
 
Received 19 July 2000; revised accepted 23 November 2000 
 
 
 
 


Higher yields and profits from new crop rotations permitting integration of mediculture with agriculture in the Indo-Gangetic plains

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Higher yields and profits from new crop rotations permitting integration of mediculture with agriculture in the Indo-Gangetic plains

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