All cultivated crops can be classified as food crops and non-food crops. 57 percentage of the total land under food grain cultivation is irrigated. In 2014-15, 59 percentage of food crops and 50 percentage of non food crops were irrigated in Tamilnadu.
The total area of land cultivated in Tamil Nadu was 59 lakh and 94 thousand hectares in 2014—2015. Out of this non-food crops were 76%.
Paddy cultivation is carried out at a large scale of 30 percent cultivated land area and other food crops in 12 percent area. Millets are cultivated in a very low percentage of area. Sorghum(Cholam) cultivation in 7 per cent land area, cumbu in one percent and ragi in 1.7 per cent. Other millets occupy 6 per cent in the year 2014-2015.
The area cultivatable land changes every year as a result of many factors such as rainfall, availability of water, weather and market prices.
