Telangana becomes first state in India to implement Crop Diversification Index.

Why in news?

• Telangana turned out to be the first state in India to adopt the Crop Diversification Index (CDI) by way of recording their crop diversification pattern in the form of an index. According to the CDI, Telangana grows 77 varieties of crops, out of which only 10 crops (mostly grains) are chosen for crop diversification.
• The districts of Nirmal, Vikarabad, and Sangareddy emerge as the most diverse, ranking in the top 3 in the state.
• The least diversified districts (bottom 3) in the state in terms of crop diversification would be Peddapalli, Karimnagar, and Suryapet, where paddy is the most cultivated crop, showing a decrease in the cropping areas of maize and an increase in the cropping areas of cotton.

About Crop Diversification Index (CDI)

• All the areas under the 77 different crops, which include food, non-food, and cash crops, as well as the areas under floriculture practices, have been considered to calculate the index.
• The index has a starting value of ONE representing the percentage of total cultivated area devoted to a single crop.
• Many districts in the state have index values ranging from 0 to 5, and the higher the value, the greater the agricultural diversification.
• The index would serve as the baseline for future crop diversification in the state.
• Next to paddy and maize, which are the traditionally grown crops in the state, pulses were the most preferred crops by the farmers.