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Agriculture
The state is predominantly agricultural and about 80% of the population depends
on agriculture for its livelihood.
Rice, wheat, soyabean, rapeseed and
mustard are among the principal crops of the state. But it is in the matter of
pulses, urad, mung, gram and arhar, that Madhya Pradesh leads the others with about
one-fifth of the total production of these protein-rich food crops coming from
the state. The black soil of the Malwa region is good for cultivation of
cotton and some textile mills have also come up because of the availability of
cotton.
Industry
Forests are important in the state. About 1.7 million hectares of land in
the state is under forests. Apart from the high quality teak, 'sal' an important
timber wood is also available in the state. Bamboos are also available in large
quantities. A product of the forests of great relevance to the economy and even
the polities of the state is the tendu leaves used extensively for making
beedies. The state's forests are mainly located in the Vindhyas and the Satpuras.
Coal and iron are among the more important of the minerals of Madhya
Pradesh.
The iron ore found in Madhya Pradesh is of high grade and occurs in the Dury,
Jubalpur, Bastar and Gwalior districts. Manganese is another important mineral
which occurs in Madhya Pradesh in the Balaghat and Chhindwara districts. There
is bauxite which is required in the production of aluminium and which is
available in the Katni tehsil of Jabalpur. Madhya Pradesh has a large deposit of
limestone required for the production of cement. The Panna region has a rich
diamond bed and is well known
for the production of diamonds. Marble is also available in the state in
several districts. The state has rich granaries of food. In the
northern part sillimanite and ochre are excavated. Other natural products
are steatite and China clay.
In the public
sector, huge plants, namely the Bhilai Steel plant, the Heavy Electrical
and the Bailadilla are the major achievements. The Nepa Mills produces
newsprint for the country. Diesel engines are manufactured at Indore and
attractive pottery and carpets are produced at Gwalior.
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