Page 104 - Haryana Water Resources Atlas 2025

Distribution of Bajra during Kharif Season (2023)

N

he Bajra crop is a warm-weather millet with small grains that belong to the W E
grass family. It thrives in dry and warm climatic regions, and is known for its
Tdrought tolerance, being able to sustain in low annual rainfall ranging from 40
cm to 60 cm. The ideal temperature range for Bajra cultivation is 20°C to 30°C. Figure S
65 illustrates that a significant amount of Bajra is cultivated in the south-western Scale
region of Haryana and intensifies towards southern parts, specifically in parts of Kms
Mahendragarh, and Rewari. The south-western region of Haryana, specifically in 0 12.5 25 50 75 100
parts of Sirsa, Hisar, and Bhiwani locally known as Bagar, resembles a practically
treeless undulating arid desert, characterized by varying magnitudes of sand dunes
which make favourable climate for Bajra cultivation. The majority of Bajra cultivation
occurs in the southern districts of Mahendragarh, Rewari, Hisar, Palwal, and
Gurugram. Those regions, which are identified as the Aravalli outliers
topographically, have climates that are ideal for growing bajra. Furthermore, these
areas do not offer ideal conditions for the large-scale cultivation of other cereal crops
like wheat or maize during the Kharif season, nor do they have enough water
resources to sustain the cultivation of water-intensive crops like rice.
Studying the cultivation pattern of Bajra is important due to its comparable
nutritional profile to other major grains and its suitability for high-yield production in
hot and dry circumstances. Additionally, the cultivation pattern of Bajra Graph 36,
which depicts district-wise Bajra acreage in Haryana) indirectly provides insights into
the soil salinity, as Bajra does not thrive in acidic soils and instead prefers soils with
slightly higher pH levels or salinity. The cultivation pattern of Bajra also plays a
significant role in studying the agro-economics and food security of regions with
limited water resources.

Graph 36. District-wise Bajra crop area (2023)

Figure 65. Distribution of Bajra during Kharif season (2023)
Data Source-HARSAC
Haryana Water Resources Atlas 86|