Question

Which of the following is/are water intensive crop(s)?

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 1 and 2
• D. 3 and 4

Answer 1

The correct option is C 1 and 2

Agriculture is one of the biggest user of water all over the world and accounts for an average of around 70% of all the freshwater usage around the globe.

Certain crops like sugarcane and rice are known as water intensive crops as they require a huge amount of water for their growth and good yield. However, the water requirement of rice is much higher than that of sugarcane.

Millet crops like jowar and bajra have very less water requirements and are hence not water intensive crops. Several high yielding varieties of millets which are resistant to water stress have been developed by plant breeding techniques. These crops help to reduce the burden of irrigation power and water requirement on states which receive less annual rainfall.