Correct Answer - Option 3 : Cereals
The correct answer is Cereals.
- Harvesting of various crops generates a large volume of residues both on and off-farm.
- Ministry of New and Renewable Energy estimated that about 500 Mt of crop residues are generated annually.
- The generation of crop residues is highest in Uttar Pradesh (60 Mt), followed by Punjab (51 Mt) and Maharashtra (46 Mt).
- Among different crops, cereals generate maximum residues (352 Mt), followed by fibres (66 Mt), oilseeds (29 Mt), pulses (13 Mt) and sugarcane (12 Mt).
- Cereal crops (rice, wheat, maize, millets) contribute 70%, while rice crop alone contributes 34% to the crop residues.
- Sugarcane residues consisting of top and leaves generate 12 Mt, i.e., 2% of the crop residues in India.
-
Source: National Policy for Management of Crop Residues (NPMCR)
