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MANIPUR

Geographic position and climate

Manipur lies in the north-eastern region of India at a latitude of 23°83'N to 25°68'N and a
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longitude of 93°03'E to 94°78'E, which covers a geographical area of 22,327 km , constituting
0.7% of the total land area of India. The elevation of the state varies from 790 to 2020 m amsl.
The state is bordered by Nagaland to its north, Mizoram to its south, Assam to its west, and
shares international border with Myanmar to its east. The average annual temperature in Manipur
is 26.9 °C with the maximum temperature of 32 °C in the summer and in winter the temperature
often falls below 0 °C, bringing frost. It receives an annual rainfall of 1,467.5 mm mainly from
in the months of May until mid-October. It has 16 districts, viz. Bisnupur, Thoubal, Imphal-East,
Imphal-West and Kakching districts lies the valley area of Manipur while Chandel,
Churachandpur, SenapatiTamenglong, Ukhrul, Kanpokpi, Tengnoupal, Pherzawl, Noney,
Kamjong, Jiribam are the hill districts.

Soils

Mostly red and lateritic soils are found in the hilly regions. Valley districts are characterized by
plain topography with fertile alluvial soils with irrigation facility. On the plains, especially flood
plains and deltas, the soil is quite thick. The top soil on the steep slopes is very thin and is
subjected to high erosion, resulting in gullies and barren rock slopes. The soils of Manipur are
quite fertile with pH value of 4.5 to 6.4, organic carbon 0.67 to 3.51%, nitrogen content 260 to
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564.5 kg ha , phosphorus 4.25 to 78.5 kg ha and potassium 22.4 to 78.4 kg ha .

Crops and cropping systems

Rice, maize, wheat, pulses, oilseed, sugarcane and potato are prime crops of the state. Rice and
maize are the leading crops in hill districts while rice, pulses and oilseed are the dominant crops
in the Imphal valley. Regarding fruits, the hills of the state are well defined for temperate fruits
and the valley for sub-tropical fruits. The valley has plentiful species of fruits such as papaya,
banana, mango, jackfruits, guava, walnut, palm, lime, pomegranates, apricot etc. While
pineapple, orange, apple, lemon, pear etc., are excellent for most widely cultivated fruits in the
hills. Manipur is mainly a multiple cropping area with low productivity. Generally multiple crop
combinations are far more widespread in the hills compared to the plains. Six and seven crop
combinations are found in hilly districts while two crop combinations are found in valley
districts. Imphal valley are relatively more influenced by modern technologies in agriculture i.e.
high yield with one time farming in a year while hill districts continue with traditional type of
shifting cultivation. The cultivation is of mono-cropping pattern. Double cropping is widely
practiced. In some area, even triple cropping is practiced.

Fertilizer consumption

The main chemical fertilizers used in Manipur are urea, DAP, SSP and MOP. The valleys have
stretch of fertile level land, well distributed rainfall, fair communication and marketing system