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9. The Plateau of Maharashtra


It stretches largely on Deccan Plateau. This is a region of regur soil (black earth soil). The July temperature ranges between 25°C and 35°C, while the mean monthly temperature in January ranges between 15°C and 25° C. The average annual rainfall varies between 50 cm and 75 cm.


Wheat, gram, millets, cotton, pulses, gr oundnut, and oilseeds are the main crops in the rain-fed areas, while in the irr igated areas, sugarcane, rice, and wheat, are cultivated.


In place of coarse grains, value crops like pulses and oilseeds need to be cultivated. About 5 per cent of the cotton area may be transferred to oilseeds. Dairy development, poultry farming, and social forestry are the other aspects of agricultural landscape which deserve immediate attention.