Which of the following is NOT a salient feature of Indian agriculture?

Correct option is D

The correct answer is (D) Predominance of industrial crops

Explanation:
• Indian agriculture is primarily characterized by the predominance of food crops rather than industrial or commercial cash crops. Over two-thirds of the total cropped area in the country is dedicated to growing food grains like rice and wheat to feed the immense population.
• Subsistence farming forms the backbone of Indian agriculture, meaning that a massive percentage of small and marginal farmers grow crops mainly for their own domestic consumption, with limited surplus left for markets.
• The sectoral composition has been structural, where food security priorities dominate over market-driven industrial raw material cultivation across most states.

Information Booster:
• Because Indian agriculture is heavily dependent on the highly erratic southwest monsoon, it is frequently called a 'gamble on the monsoons' by economists and policy experts.

Additional Knowledge:
• Dependent on monsoon (Option A): A core feature, as a significant portion of the net sown area lacks permanent artificial irrigation and relies completely on seasonal rainfall.
• Pressure of population (Option B): India features a very low land-to-man ratio, resulting in highly fragmented, small, and economically unviable landholdings due to generation-based division.
• Subsistence agriculture (Option C): A true feature where farming is practiced on tiny plots utilizing traditional tools and family labor to satisfy basic family needs.