BharatNotes Kharif
noun (also used attributively, as in "kharif crops", "kharif season")UPSC confused pair — don't mix up with Rabi
Usage in a UPSC answer
Because the kharif season hinges almost entirely on the timeliness and spatial distribution of the south-west monsoon, a deficient or erratic rainfall year transmits directly into rural distress, food-price inflation and pressure on the government's procurement and MSP machinery.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Word Family
rabi (n, complementary season), kharif crops (attrib. phrase)
Root
Arabic kharīf (خريف) = autumn; borrowed into Hindi/Urdu kharīf for the monsoon harvest season
Etymology
From Hindi/Urdu kharīf, borrowed from Arabic kharīf (خريف, autumn); entered Indian agricultural vocabulary with the ascent of the Mughal Empire.
Memory Hook
Arabic kharif = "autumn/harvest"; think "Kha-RIPE" — crops grow through the monsoon and are RIPE for autumn harvest (rain-fed, sown June, reaped October).
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
The monsoon cropping season, sown with the onset of the south-west monsoon in June and July and harvested through September and October, covering paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, jute, groundnut, soyabean and tur. What makes it the more anxious season for policymakers is that it is largely rain-fed, and its outcome turns on the timing and spatial spread of rainfall rather than on the seasonal total, so a normal aggregate monsoon can still coincide with regional crop failure. Weekly sowing-progress data through the season is therefore an early read on rural incomes, food prices and the demand for procurement, well before any harvest figure is available.
Don’t Confuse It With
Kharif is sown at monsoon onset and reaped in autumn. Rabi is sown after the monsoon withdraws, on residual soil moisture and irrigation, and reaped in spring. Zaid is the short summer season between the two, used for melons, cucumber, fodder and vegetables. There is an inversion worth remembering: Arabic kharīf means autumn and rabīʿ means spring, so both season names refer to when the crop is harvested rather than when it is sown.
Hindi Meaning
खरीफ (kharīf); खरीफ फसल for kharif crops.
Common Questions
- When is the kharif season?
- Sowing takes place in June and July with the arrival of the south-west monsoon, and harvesting runs through September and October.
- Which crops are grown in the kharif season?
- Paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, jute, groundnut, soyabean and tur are the principal kharif crops.
Seen in UPSC Question Papers
- Prelims 2023 — Agricultural Geography
- Prelims 2020 — Agriculture
- Prelims 2017 — Agriculture
- Prelims 2016 — Agriculture
Real UPSC previous-year questions whose text uses “Kharif” — proof this word earns its place on your list.
Tip: press Alt+S to hear pronunciation
