Question

Which of the following states had the lowest consumption of fertilizers (kg/hectare) in 2020-21 in the country?

• A. Bihar
• B. West Bengal
• C. Maharashtra
• D. Telangana

Hint:

States with high levels of irrigation (such as Punjab, Haryana, Telangana, and Bihar) consistently show higher per-hectare fertilizer consumption than states dominated by rainfed or dryland agriculture (such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Karnataka).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Fertilizer consumption per unit of cropped area (measured in kg/ha of N, P, and K) serves as an indicator of farming intensity.
It is heavily influenced by factors such as irrigation coverage, cropping patterns, and regional climate conditions.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
In the agricultural year 2020-21, fertilizer consumption varied significantly among the listed states:
- Telangana and Bihar practice highly intensive farming supported by assured irrigation networks. Their fertilizer application rates are high, often exceeding \( 200 \text{ kg/ha} \).
- West Bengal also has high usage rates, typically between \( 150 \text{ kg/ha} \) and \( 180 \text{ kg/ha} \), due to multiple annual rice crops and high cropping intensity.
- Maharashtra has a large proportion of dryland and rainfed agriculture. Major crops like cotton, pulses, and oilseeds are grown under rainfed conditions, where fertilizer application is lower compared to intensively irrigated states. This results in the lowest per-hectare consumption among the four options.

Step 4: Final Answer:
Maharashtra recorded the lowest average fertilizer consumption per hectare among the given options in 2020-2