Question.
Discuss the important characteristic features of plantation agriculture. Name a few important plantation crops from different countries.
(Class 12 geography, Fundamentals of Human Geography, Chapter-5. Primary Activities )
Answer.
Sugarcane, cotton, tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber, palm oil, banana, coconut, and pineapple are some of the important plantation crops. Plantation agriculture was first introduced by European countries in their colonies in tropical climates.
Following are the important features of plantation agriculture:
Planting crops are done in large land estates.
It requires large capital investment and at the same time, it requires professional managerial and technical support.
The plantation is mainly done in mountainous areas in tropical climates and therefore mechanization of plantation agriculture is not very feasible, hence plantation agriculture requires cheap labor on a large scale.
A good transport system is needed to connect all the components of plantation agriculture, such as plantation estates, factories, and markets, as most of the products of plantation agriculture are exported.
To make the soil fertile at all times, scientific methods of farming are needed with single crop specialization.
Following are the important plantation crops of different countries:
Cocoa and coffee plantations in West Africa were established by the French. It is still famous for its cocoa and coffee plantations in West Africa.
There are large tea gardens in India and Sri Lanka that were established by the British.
Malaysia has large rubber plantations which were established by the British.
The West Indies has large plantations of sugarcane and bananas which were established by the British.
The Philippines has coconut and sugarcane plantations that were established by the Spanish and Americans.
Indonesia has large sugarcane plantations which were established by the Dutch.
Brazil has large coffee plantations and is still managed by Europeans.
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