Agriculture Part 1 - Final (Static Pre Rev. Notes) - 1

AGRICULTURE
(Part - I)
PRELIMS 2024
PART OF OUR STATIC
PRELIMS REVISION NOTES
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Stattic Prelims Revision Notes – Agriculture | Part-I
*[This document contains Stats, Crops in News, Scientific terms and Indices related to Agriculture]
1. Introduction: Agriculture sector in India have significant role in providing livelihoods, ensuring food security
and promoting growth of industries + As per census 2011, around 54% of India’s population engaged in
agriculture + The agricultural sector constituted 18 per cent of India's GVA in FY24 + The sector grew at a
higher average annual rate of 3.7 per cent from FY15 to FY23 compared to 3.4 per cent from FY05 to FY14 +
For the year FY23, the sector grew at 4.0 per cent as compared to the previous year.
2. Growth Drivers of Indian Agriculture
3. Economic Census = The Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI) has tied up with Common
Service Centre (CSC), an SPV under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, to carry out the 7th National Economic
Census + Conducted every five years as a central sector scheme, the EC, which also captures the employment
creation by each firm, their ownership pattern and sources of finance at a granular level, was last carried out in
2013-14 + Economic Census (EC) is the complete count of all establishments/units located within the
geographical boundaries of the country + Launched in 1976 as a plan scheme + Coverage: All entrepreneurial
units in the country which are involved in any economic activities of either agricultural or non-agricultural
sector which are engaged in production and/or distribution of goods and/or services not for the sole purpose of
own consumption + The data is collected through door to door surveys of each household and commercial
establishment under the provisions of Collection of Statistics Act 2008 + Total Six Economic Censuses (EC)
have been conducted till date. First one was conducted in 1977 by CSO + The fieldwork of 7th Economic
Census has been completed. However as 12 States/UTs have not approved the provisional results, nationwide
7th Economic Census results could not be finalized.
4. 11th Agriculture Census (2021-2022) = Launched by Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare +
conducted every 5 years + has been conducted since 1970-71 in collaboration with the States and Union
Territories as part of a programme of World Census of Agriculture of FAO + It is the main source of information
on a variety of indicators, including the nature of operational land holdings, their size, distribution by class,
land-use statistics, tenancy and Cropping patterns + In 11th census, first time, data collection will be conducted
on smartphones and tablets + According to the 10th agricultural census (2015-16): small and marginal farmers
(less than two hectares of land) accounted for 86.2% of all farmers but owned just 47.3% of the crop area. Land
holdings continued to be inequitably distributed + (World Census of Agriculture (WCA) = WCA was carried
out in 1930 by the International Institute of Agriculture + Since, 1950, the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations has been preparing and advocating the decennial WCA + The concept of
agricultural operational holdings adopted in India differs to some extent with that of FAO + it does not include
those holdings which are not operating any agricultural land and are engaged exclusively in livestock, poultry
and fishing etc.)
Agriculture Notes – PART 1 – Sunya IAS| Part of our PRELIMS STATIC Revision Notes| 8279688595 Page 3
5. Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households and Land and Livestock Holdings of
Households in Rural India, 2019 = Published by NSO + An agricultural household for was defined as a
household receiving more than ₹ 4000/- as value of produce from agricultural activities and having at least one
member self-employed in agriculture either in the principal status or in subsidiary status during last 365 days.
● Percentage of indebted agricultural households: 50.2%
● Average amount (₹) of outstanding loan per agricultural household: ₹ 74,121
o It was the highest in Andhra Pradesh at ₹ 2.45 lakh
o It was the lowest in Nagaland at ₹ 1,750
● The average monthly income from different sources rose 59% to ₹ 10,218 based on the ‘paid out expenses’
approach in 2018-19 compared with ₹ 6,426 in 2012-13
6. Agricultural Census 2015-16 (Released in 2018): It is the 10th agri-census; first census was held in 1970-71+
Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture and Family welfare conducts a quinquennial census (every
five years) to collect information about structure and agriculture holdings in the country.
● Major Highlights
o Operational Holdings: Increased from 138.35 million in 2010-11 to 146.45 million in 2015-16
showing an increase of 5.86% + Uttar Pradesh (233.82 million) has highest number of landholders,
constituting 16% of the total number, followed by Bihar (16.41 million) and Maharashtra (15.29
million) + The highest increase in holdings was observed in Madhya Pradesh (12.74%) followed by
Andhra Pradesh (11.85%), Maharashtra (11.58%), Rajasthan (11.12%), Kerala (11.02%), Meghalaya
(10.90%), Karnataka (10.83%) and Nagaland (10.16%) etc.
o Operated Area: The total operated area decreased from 159.59 million ha. in 2010- 11 to 157.82
million ha. in 2015-16 showed a decrease of 1.11% + State wise total operated area is highest in
Rajasthan (20.87 million ha), followed by Maharashtra (20.51 million ha.), UP, MP and Karnataka +
Large landholding accounts for only 9% of the total operated area.
o Average size of landholding: Decline in average size of landholding from 1.15 hectare to 1.08 hectare
+ It is highest in Nagaland and lowest in Kerala.

o Small and Marginal landholdings (< 2hectare area): They constitute 86.21% of total landholding;
increase of 1.2% points over 2010-11 + Farmers holding 10 hectares and more account for only 0.57%
+ Their share in the operated area stood at 46.94% in the current census as against 44.58% in 2010-11.
o Women Landholders: Percentage of women landholders increased from 12.79% in 2010-11 to
13.87% in 2015-16.
Note: The data collection for the 11th census started in August 2022 (the delay was due to the Covid pandemic)
This is the first time that smartphones and tablets will be used to enable digital data collection. Novel features also
include use of digital land records, collection of data through software on tabs/smartphones, real-time monitoring
of the progress and a complete enumeration of all the villages in states. The Ministry will release 3 reports on
various parameters.
7. Agri Exports: As per WTO’s Trade
Statistical Review (2022), the share of
India’s agricultural exports in the
world agriculture trade in 2021 were
2.4% + India was in the top 10 ranking
of the global Agri exporters + The
share of agricultural exports in India’s
total merchandise exports was 11.90%
in 2021-22 + The increase in Agri and
Allied exports during 2020-21was
primarily on account of increased
exports of commodities like Wheat
(279.71%), Dairy Products (98.40%), Guergam Meal (71.41%), Sugar (66.17%), Cashew Nut Shell Liquid
(64.84%) + Major destinations of exports for India’s Agri and Allied commodities were United States of
America, China, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Vietnam + During 2021-22, USA was the largest importer
of Indian agricultural products at US$ 5.7 billion with share at 11.5% of the total exports + Exports of
agricultural and processed food products rose by 9% to $26.3 billion in 2022-23 as compared to FY22 + India's
agriculture exports, which stood at over USD 50 billion at present, are expected to double by 2030 and reach
USD 100 billion.
● Steps taken to promote agri-exports

o Export promotion agencies: Export Inspection Council (EIC) and Agriculture & Processed Food
Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) are taking proactive steps.
o Digitization: For e.g., online issuance of certificates required for exports.
o Transport and Marketing Assistance (TMA) for specified agri products have been made more
lucrative by increasing the rates of assistance wef from 1st April 2021.
o KRISHI UDAN initiative by MoCA to assist farmers in transporting agri products on international and
national routes to improve their value realization.
o Setting up of Agri-Export zones in different parts of the country to promote the export of specific
agricultural commodities.
o Market Access Initiative (MAI) supports export promotion activities, including participation in
international trade fairs, capacity building, and market research.
o District as Export Hub Initiative of the Department of Commerce. Under the DEH initiative, products
including agricultural products with export potential have been identified in all 733 districts across the
country.
o Farmer Connect Portals has been set up for providing a platform for farmers, Farmer-Producer
Organizations (FPOs) and cooperatives to interact with exporters
8. Agri-Export policy, 2018 objectives
● To double agricultural exports from present ~US$ 30+ Billion to ~US$ 60+ Billion by 2022 and reach US$
100 Billion in next few years thereafter, with stable trade policy.
● To diversify our export basket, destinations and boost high value and value added agricultural exports
including focus on perishables.
● To promote novel, indigenous, organic, ethnic, traditional and non-traditional Agri products exports.
● To provide an institutional mechanism for pursuing market access, tackling barriers and deal with sanitary
and phytosanitary issues.
● To strive to double India’s share in world agri exports by integrating with global value chain at the earliest.
● Enable farmers to get benefit of export opportunities in overseas market.
9. Agri-Imports
 The Agri and allied imports in the year
2021-22 increased by 50.56%to
Rs239189.50 crore as compared to 2020-
21.
 Increase in value of Agri and Allied
imports during 2020-21were primarily
on account of increase in imports of
Vegetables Oil (72.34%), Fresh Fruits
(16.35%), Pulses (39.29%), Spices
(20.00%), Cashew (24.66%), Natural
Rubber (66.73%), Oil Meals (346.33%),
Other Oil Seeds (98.94%).
 Major sources of import of India’s Agri and Allied commodities are Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina,
Ukraine, United States of America, Brazil.
Fig: Import share in 2021-22 (Top-10 Items)
10. Fertilizer Subsidies: Government is making available
fertilizers, namely Urea and 24 grades of P&K fertilizers to
farmers at subsidized prices through fertilizer
manufacturers/importers + Urea is being provided to the farmers
at a statutorily notified Maximum Retail Price (MRP) + For
Phosphatic and Potassic (P&K) fertilizers, Government is
implementing Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme-> subsidy
provided on each grade of subsidized Phosphatic and Potassic
(P&K) fertilizers depending upon its nutrient content + Fertilizer
consumption rose 13-14% during the 2023-24 kharif season,
with urea up 6-7% and non-urea up 23-24%, according to Crisil
+ Urea accounted for 65% of the total fertilizer subsidy for kharif
this year, and non-urea for the balance 35% + The Union Budget
for FY24 had allotted around Rs 1.75 lakh crore towards
fertiliser subsidy.
11. PM Kisan Samriddhi Kendra = It is an initiative of the Department of Fertilizers launched during August
2022 + It aims to convert the existing village, block/sub district/ taluk and district level fertilizer retail shops
into Model Fertilizer Retail Shops that will act as "One Stop Shop" for all the agriculture related inputs and
services + It will be acting as one stop shop for farmers to provide quality Agri-inputs like fertilizers, seeds,
pesticides at reasonable prices under one roof.
12. Status of Agricultural Indebtedness in India
 Situation Assessment of Agri Households and Land Holdings of Households in Rural India, 2019’
survey (NSO): Average outstanding loan per agricultural household increased by 57.7% from 2013 to 2018
+ There has been increase in average income of agricultural households and farm incomes + Andhra
Pradesh has highest average outstanding loan with highest proportion (93.2%) of agricultural households
under debt, followed by Telangana (91.7%) and Kerala (69.9%). The average farm debt per household was
₹74,121 in 2018, a 57.7% increase from ₹47,000 in 2013. Highest in Andhra Pradesh and lowest in
Nagaland.
13. Minimum Support Price: It is the minimum price set by the Government at which farmers can expect to sell
their produce for the season + When market prices fall below the announced MSPs, procurement agencies step
in to procure the crop and support the prices.
● Background: The Food-Grain Enquiry Committee, established in 1957 by Nehru administration was the
first attempt to address the agricultural earning issue (turned out to be insignificant) + Lal Bahadur Shastri
formed the Food Grain Price Committee (under LK Jha), to push for a MSP regime in 1964 -> the first
MSP announcement was made in 1967 + Subsequently the government set up the Agricultural Prices
Commission for fixing MSP for crops. The commission was renamed as the CACP in 1985.
● Rationale: Protecting farmers from price volatility + Incentivizing farmers to grow crops in short supply +
Ensures easy procurement for food security schemes.
● Declaration: Cabinet committee of Economic affairs (CCEA) announces MSP for various crops at
beginning of each sowing season based on recommendation of Commission for Agricultural costs and
prices (CACP).
● Crops covered: MSP is announced for 22 mandated crops + For Sugarcane Fair and Remunerative Prices
(FRP) is announced which has to be paid by sugar mill owners.
● Factors for recommending MSP: While recommending MSPs, CACP considers important factors like
cost of production, overall demand-supply conditions, domestic and international prices, inter-crop price
parity, terms of trade between agricultural and non-agricultural sectors, the likely effect on the rest of the
economy, besides ensuring rational utilization of land, water and other production resources and a minimum
of 50 per cent as the margin over cost of production.
● A2 + FL method: CACP considers both A2+FL and C2 costs while recommending MSP.
o A2: It covers all paid-out costs directly incurred by the farmer in cash and kind on seeds, fertilisers,
pesticides, hired labour etc.
o ‘A2+FL’: Includes A2 plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour.
o ‘C2’: comprehensive cost that factors in rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital
assets, on top of A2+FL.
● MSP is fixed twice a year on the recommendations of the CACP which submits separate reports
recommending prices for kharif and rabi seasons.
● Union Budget for 2018-19 announced pre-determined principle to keep MSP at level of one and half times
of cost of production. Accordingly, Govt had increased the MSP for all mandated Kharif, Rabi and other
commercial crops with a return of at least 50% over all India weighted average cost of production from
agricultural year 2018-19 onwards.
● Recent protests: Farmers protesting in Delhi for the enactment of a law to guarantee minimum support
prices (MSP) for all crops, as per the formula recommended by the Dr M S Swaminathan Commission +
As per the Swaminathan Commission recommendations, MSP should be fixed at 1.5 times the cost
(commonly known now as ‘C2+50%’).
● Mechanisms under MSP (Before PM-AASHA): Open ended procurement by FCI for wheat and paddy
+ Coarse grains-> Purchased by state govt with permission from central govt for TPDS + Price support
scheme for oil seeds, pulses and cotton at request of concerned states + Market intervention scheme for
perishable horticulture commodities.
● PM Annadata Aay Sanrakshan Abhiyan (PM-AASHA): It will complement other schemes of
Department of Food for procurement of paddy, wheat and coarse grains.
o Price support scheme: Physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra by central nodal agencies
+ NAFED and FCI will take up Price support scheme in states/districts upto 25% of total harvest +
Expenditure of procurement to be borne by central govt.
o Price Deficiency and Payment Scheme: All oilseeds for which MSP has been announced will be
covered + Direct payment to registered farmers for difference between MSP and selling price in notified
market yard by transparent auction process.
o Private procurement and stockist scheme: For oilseeds, states have option of rolling out PPSS on
pilot basis in selected districts/APMCs for 1 or more oilseeds + Private player will be compensated
with service charge of upto 15% of notified MSP.
14. Food Corporation of India = Statutory body set up in 1965 under the Food Corporation Act, 1964 + Under
Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Government of India + Objectives: To provide
effective price support to farmers; To procure and supply grains to PDS for distributing subsidised staples to
economically vulnerable sections of society; Keep a strategic reserve to stabilise markets for basic food grains.
15. Open market sale scheme = It is a strategic initiative by FCI to manage the supply and availability of food
grains such as wheat and rice in the open market + FCI and State Corporations procure food grains like wheat
and paddy during Rabi and Kharif seasons, based on the Union Government's Minimum Support Price (MSP)
+ The government allocates a portion of the procured food grains for the beneficiaries under the National Food
Security Act, maintains a buffer stock, and retains a marketable surplus + FCI executes the Operation of OMSS
by selling surplus food grains, particularly wheat and rice, to various entities in the open market, including
traders, bulk consumers, and retail chains.
16. Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP): Initially known as Agricultural Prices Commission;
renamed in 1985 + It is an expert body that recommends MSPs of the notified Kharif and Rabi crops to the
Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) + It is a statutory body; recommendations not binding on the
government. CACP recommends MSP to the government and the final values are approved by the CCEA.
● Objectives: Recommend MSPs, motivate cultivators and farmers to adopt the latest technology in order to
optimize the use of resources and increase productivity.
● Composition: Chairman + Member Secretary + 1 Official Member + 2 Non- Official Members -> usually
representatives of farming community and have active association with the farming community.
● Roles and Responsibilities: It currently recommends MSPs for 23 commodities, which include 7 grains
(paddy, wheat, maize, bajra, jowar, ragi and barley), 5 pulses (chana, tur, urad, moong and masur), 7
oilseeds (mustard, nigerseed, safflower, sunflower, sesamum, soyabean and groundnut), and 4 commercial
crops (cotton, sugarcane, copra, raw jute) in form of Price policy reports each year + Surprise visits to States
for on-the-spot assessment of the various constraints farmers face in marketing their products.
17. Status of Livestock Sector in India
● Livestock sector: The contribution to total Livestock GVA (at constant prices) was 30.19% of
Agricultural and Allied Sector GVA and 5.73% of Total GVA in 2021-22. India ranks 5th in the world in
terms of meat production + Livestock sector contributed 6.2 per cent of total GVA in 2020-21.
● Livestock Census: Livestock census is conducted periodically every 5 years since 1919-20 + It covers all
domesticated animals and its headcounts; both in rural and urban areas.
o 20th Livestock census: Released by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying. It has
been designed to capture breed wise number of animals + Mobile app developed by National
Informatics center, MEITY used for data collection.
▪ Total Livestock population is 535.78 million (increase of 4.6% over Livestock Census-2012).
▪ West Bengal observed highest increase of 23%, followed by Telangana (22%). West Bengal had
highest cattle population across India, at about 19 million in 2019. Uttar Pradesh ranked second
that year.
▪ Total Bovine population (Cattle, Buffalo, Mithun and Yak) is 302.79 Million in 2019 which shows
an increase of about 1% over the previous census.
 Cattle- 192.49 million (+ 0.8%): Female cattle is 145.12 million (+18%), Exotic/crossbreed
is 50.42million (+26.9%), Indigenous/non-descript is 142.11 million (- 6%).
▪ The Indigenous/Non-descript female cattle population has increased by 10% in 2019 as compared to
previous census.
▪ Total buffaloes in the country is 109.85 million (+ 1.0%)
▪ Total milch animals (in-milk and dry) in cows and buffaloes is 125.34 million (+ 6%).
▪ Total sheep in the country is 74.26 million in 2019 (+ 14.1%).
▪ Total Pigs in the country is 9.06 Million (-12.3%)
▪ Total poultry in the country is 851.81 million in 2019 (+ 16.8%)-> Backyard poultry (371 million; +
45%), Commercial Poultry (543 million; +4.5%).
18. Dairy Sector in India: Dairy is the single largest agricultural commodity contributing 5 per cent of the national
economy and employing more than 8 crore farmers directly + India is ranked 1st in milk production contributing
23 percent of global milk production + Milk production has increased by 51.05% over the past 8 years from
146.3 million tonnes during 2014-15 to 221.06 million tonnes during 2021-22 + Milk production is growing at
the annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% over the past 8 years whereas world milk production is growing at
1.2% per annum + The per capita availability of milk is 444 grams per day in 2021-22 as against the world
average of 394 grams per day during 2021 + In the last decade, per capita milk availability has increased by 40
percent.
19. Egg Production: India ranks 3rd in Egg Production and 8th in meat production in the world + Egg production
in the country has increased from 78.48 billion in 2014-15 to 129.60 billion Nos. in 2021-22 + Egg production
in the country is growing at the rate (CAGR) of 7.4% per annum + The per capita availability of egg is at 95
eggs per annum in 2021-22.
20. Meat Production: India ranks 8th in the world in terms of total meat production. The total meat production in
the country is 9.77 MT in the year 2022-23 + The meat production has increased by 5.62% as compared to
2020-21 + The per capita availability reached 6.82 Kg/annum for the year 2021-22 from 6.52 Kg/annum in the
year 2020-21 + Meat production in the country has increased from 6.69 million tonnes in 2014-15 to 9.29
million tonnes in 2021-22 + Despite India’s large livestock population, India accounts only around 2 percent of
the global market. Pink Revolution is a term used to denote the technological revolutions in the meat and poultry
processing sector.
21. Important Schemes related to Livestock and Dairy sector
● Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund: It has been set up with an outlay of Rs. 15,000
crores to support private investment in Dairy Processing, value addition and cattle feed infrastructure +
Incentives will be given for establishing plants for export of niche products + It facilitates establishment of
animal feed plants of varying capacities – including setting up of mineral mixture plants, silage making
units, and animal feed testing laboratory + The beneficiaries contribute a minimum of 10% margin money
as investment. The balance 90% would be the loan component to be made available by scheduled banks +
Government of India will provide 3% interest subvention to eligible beneficiaries + Two-year moratorium
period for principal loan amount and 6 year repayment period thereafter. Rashtriya Gokul Mission: To
undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous breeds to improve their genetic makeup and
increase the stock. Rashtriya Gokul Mission comprises two components namely: The national program for
bovine breeding and National mission for bovine productivity.
● Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock sector: The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying
(DAHD) has introduced the first Credit Guarantee Scheme for Livestock Sector, under the Animal
Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF) + It aims to provide collateral-free credit to MSMEs
in the livestock sector; financial assistance to the un-served and underserved livestock sector, primarily
first-generation entrepreneurs and underprivileged individuals without collateral security + The department
has set up a credit guarantee fund trust of Rs 750 crore, which will cover up to 25 per cent of credit facilities
extended to eligible MSMEs by lending institutions + The trust which is formed in partnership with NAB
Sanrakshan Trustee Company Private Ltd, a subsidiary of NABARD, ensures credit guarantee for MSMEs
under the AHIDF scheme.
● E-Pashu Haat portal: It connects breeders and farmers regarding availability of quality bovine germplasm
+ Breeders/farmers can sell or purchase their breeding stock through the portal.
● Livestock health and disease control scheme: Assistance is provided under scheme for prevention and
control of animals such as Foot and Mouth disease, Peste des petits ruminants (PPR), Brucellosis, Classical
swine fever etc.
● National Artificial Insemination Programme: To suggest novel methods of bringing about impregnation
in female breeds and to prevent the spread of certain diseases which are genital in nature, thereby enhancing
the efficiency of the breed.
● National Programme for Dairy Development: To create and strengthen infrastructure for quality milk
including cold chain infrastructure linking the farmer to the consumer.
● Kisan Credit Cards for Dairy Farmers of Milk Co-operatives and Milk Producer companies. So far, more
than 27.65 lakh fresh KCCs were sanctioned for AHD Farmers.
● SUTRA PIC (Scientific Utilization through research augmentation- prime products from indigenous
cows): Program to research on indigenous cows; academic organizations and capable NGOs provided funds
to do research on indigenous cows + Funded by various scientific ministries and led by Department of
Science and Technology + Other partners are DBT, CSIR, AYUSH ministry and ICAR + It has five themes:
o Uniqueness of Indigenous Cows,
o Prime-products from Indigenous Cows for Medicine and Health,
o Prime-products from Indigenous Cows for Agricultural Applications,
o Prime-products from Indigenous Cows for Food and Nutrition,
o Prime-products from indigenous cows-based utility items.
22. Fisheries Sector: India is the 3rd largest fish producing country, contributing 8 percent to the global fish
production and ranks 2nd in aquaculture production + It provides livelihood to more than 25 million fishers
and fish farmers + The fish production in 2021-22 is 16.24 Million Tonnes (MTs) comprising of marine fish
production of 4.12 MTs and 12.12 MTs from Aquaculture + Fish production in India has witnessed a
tremendous growth by showcasing a production increase from 7.5 Lakhs MT during 1950-51 to the current
production of 141 Lakhs MT + Inland fisheries in India has seen a turnaround and presently contributes ~70
% of total fish production + It contributes about 1.24 per cent to the country's GVA and over 7.28 per cent to
the agricultural GVA + Fisheries sector has demonstrated an outstanding double-digit average annual growth
of 10.87 per cent since 2014-15 + India is among the top 5 fish exporting countries in the world. About 17%
of India's agricultural exports are fish and fish products + Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of fish in
India followed by West Bengal + Recently, Uttar Pradesh has been awarded the Best State-Inland Fisheries
Award at the Global Fisheries Conference 2023.
23. Inland Fisheries
 Inland aquaculture: Presently contributes ~70 % of total fish production.
 Tanks and ponds: The current production from tanks and pond is 8.5 million MT.
 Brackish and Saline aquaculture: Brackish water aquaculture offers huge potential as the country has
around 1.42 million Ha of brackish/saline area, of which only ~13% is utilized. Saline water aquaculture
promoted to transform ‘Waste land to Wet-lands’ by increasing aquaculture area from 13 thousand Ha to
58 thousand Ha by FY2024-25.
 Cold water fisheries: With the aim to harness its potential, the Department of Fisheries has focused on
increasing current cold water fish production of 52,084 MT to 90 thousand MT by FY 2024-25 boosting
current productivity from ~1 ton/Ha to 3 ton/Ha.
 Ornamental fisheries: Ornamental fishes of India are contributing about 1% of the total ornamental fish
trade. FY 2022-23 investment of Rs 189.14 crores has been made towards development of Ornamental
fisheries sector under PMMSY.
 Cage culture in Reservoirs: Reservoirs are generally referred to as ‘sleeping giants’ as in spite of large
area covered it cage culture contributes to ~3.81% of the total inland fish production + With the aim to
harness its potential, the Department of Fisheries has focused on increasing current fish production through
cage culture of 2.44 lakh MT to 6.29 lakh MT by FY 2024-25 by tapping minimum 60% of the reservoirs
and boosting productivity of all types of cages (small/medium and large).
 Riverine Fisheries: India is bestowed with 14 major, 44 medium, and numerous minor rivers that run
through 2.52 lakh Kms contributes to current production of 1 Lakh ton.
 Natural Wetlands: Contributing to the current production of 2.03 lakh ton through 5.5. lakh Ha available
area.
24. Marine Fisheries
 Mariculture: It is a specialized branch of aquaculture involving the cultivation of marine organisms for
food and other products in the open ocean, or in tanks, ponds or raceways which are filled with seawater.
An example is the farming of marine fish, including finfish and shellfish like cobia, pompano, sea bass,
lobster, oysters and seaweed in salt water resources. Non-food products produced by mariculture include:
fish meal, nutrient agar, jewellery (e.g. cultured pearls), and cosmetics. Fish raised through mariculture
practices are perceived to be of higher quality than fish raised in ponds or tanks, and offer more diverse
choice of species.
 Open Sea Cage Culture: Open sea cage farming is eco-friendly and done in open sea where wave action
is less. The fishes that are being cultured in cages are high value fishes; hence there is huge export demand
for cage cultured fishes.
o Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is one of the suitable species for open sea cage farming. It can grow
to about 3-4 kg body weight in one year and 8-10 kg in two years.
o Sea bass (Lates calcarifer) is one of the most important candidate species for open sea cage culture
and pond culture and has high commercial value. CMFRI has perfected cage culture of Sea bass at
Karwar in Karnataka and has successively proved production to the tune of about 3tonnes fishes from
a 6 meter diameter cage. Sea bass seeds are produced in the hatcheries of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for
Aquaculture (RGCA) and CIBA.
o Silver pompano (Trachinotus blotchii) is also a suitable species for marine aquaculture due to its
vide acceptability and medium size suitable for a small family. Silver pompano is found to grow faster
in low salinities (10-25 ppt), less cannibalistic and more resistant to wide range of diseases and
commands good price in the domestic and international markets.
25. Recent Initiatives of Fishery sector
● PM Matsya Sampada Yojana: It is a flagship scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries
sector in India + It aims to enhance fish production to 220 lakh metric tons by 2024-25 at an average growth
rate of 9% + It envisages an investment of 20,000 crores in five years (Centre- 9400 crores, state-4880
crores and beneficiaries- 5760 crores) + It aims at enhancing exports to Rs. 1 lakh crores by 2024-25 + It
will be implemented over a period of five years from 2020-21 to 2024- 25 in all states/UTs + Key
interventions include enhancing fish production and productivity, modernizing and strengthening the value
chain, creating fisheries and post- harvest infrastructure and developing robust fisheries management and
regulatory frameworks.
● Pradhan Mantri Matsya Kisan Samridhi Sah-Yojana (PM-MKSSY): It is a Central Sector Sub-scheme
under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada for formalization of the fisheries sector and supporting fisheries
micro and small enterprises with an investment of over Rs. 6,000 crores over a period of next four years
from FY 2023-24 to FY 2026-27 in all States/Union Territories + The Sub-scheme will be implemented as
a Central Sector Sub-scheme under the Central Sector Component of the PMMSY at an estimated outlay
of Rs.6,000 crore consisting of 50% i.e. Rs.3,000 crore public finance including the World Bank and the
AFD external financing, and rest 50% i.e.Rs.3,000 crore being the anticipated investment from the
beneficiaries/private sector leverage.
● Kisan Credit Card: Kisan Credit Card (KCC) scheme was extended by the Government of India (GoI) in
the 2018-19 to fisheries and animal husbandry farmers to help them meet their working capital
requirements.
● Report Fish disease app: Launched by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying +
Developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)-National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources
(NBFGR), Lucknow and launched under the National Surveillance Programme for Aquatic Animal
Diseases (NSPAAD) + It will integrate fish farmers, field-level officers and fish health experts seamlessly
+ The app help farmers report diseases in finfish, shrimps, and molluscs on their farms + Farmers can
connect with district fisheries officers and scientists, and self-report diseases + It also has an early warning
system and scientific advice to reduce losses due to diseases and strengthen disease reporting among fish
farmers in the country.
● Fisheries and Aquaculture Infrastructure Development Fund (Fidf): Established in 2018-19 by
Department of Fisheries with a total funds size of Rs 7522.48 crore + It envisages creation of fisheries
infrastructure facilities both in marine and inland fisheries sectors + Aims to achieve a sustainable growth
of 8-9% to augment the country’s fish production to the level of about 20 million tonnes by 2022-23
+ National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB), Hyderabad is the nodal implementing agency + Interest
subvention up to 3% per annum for providing the concessional finance by the NLEs at the interest rate not
lower than 5% per annum + Loan lending period is five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23 and maximum
repayment period of 12 years inclusive of moratorium of 2 years on repayment of principal + It has
contributions from NABARD, National cooperative development cooperation and Scheduled banks.
● Matsya Setu App: It aims to disseminate latest freshwater aquaculture technologies to aqua farmers in the
country; focus on growing the culture of commercially important fishes. Species-wise/ subject-wise self-
learning online course modules will be provided through the app. e-Certificate will be issues upon
completion of the course.
+ It was developed by ICAR- Central Institute of Freshwater aquaculture and National fisheries
development board (NFDB).
26. Horticulture: The total horticulture produce in 2022 is 341.6 million tonnes + Fruits and vegetables account
alone account for almost 90% of the total horticulture production + India leads in the production of certain
vegetables (ginger and okra) and fruits (banana, mangoes and papaya) + More than 50% of the floriculture
products are produced in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh + Horticulture
contributes 30.4% of the agriculture Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using only 13.1% of gross cropped area
+ The sector contributes about 33% to the agriculture GVA making very significant contribution to the Indian
economy + India is ranked 14th in vegetables exports and 23rd in fruits exports. However, the global
horticulture market of India is at mere 1% + Productivity of horticulture crops has increased by about 38.5%
between 2004-05 and 2021-22(3rd Advance Estimate).
 Food grain Production Vs Horticulture: India is currently producing about 320.48 million tones of
horticulture produce which has surpassed the food grain production, that too from much less area (25.66
million Ha. for horticulture against 127.6 M. ha. for food grains) + Productivity of horticulture crops is
much higher compared to productivity of food grains (12.49 tones/ha against 2.23 tones/ha.).
 Food grain production: The total food grains production for FY23 was 329.7 million tonnes, marking a
rise of 14.1 million tonnes compared to the previous year. The average food grain production per year in
million tonnes was 289 in FY15 to FY23, compared to 233 in FY05 to FY14. Rice, wheat, pulses,
Nutri/coarse cereals, and oilseeds witnessed record increases in production. Additionally, India ranks
second-largest producer of fruits, vegetables, tea, farmed fish, sugarcane, wheat, rice, cotton, and sugar.
27. Pomegranate = Pomegranate is grown in tropical and subtropical regions of the world + It grows well under
semi-arid conditions and can be grown upto an altitude of 500 m. above mean sea level + The total
pomegranate production in 2021-22 was around 3 MMT + India ranks 7th in production of pomegranate in the
world + Major producers are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh being major
producers + The Solapur district in Maharashtra contributes almost 50% of the pomegranate export from the
country + India exports pomegranate majorly to United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bangladesh, Nepal,
Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bahrain, Oman.
28. Schemes related to Horticulture
● National Horticulture Mission: It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2005-06 to increase
horticulture production and doubling farmer’s income + Government of India contributes 85%, and 15% is
met by the State Governments. The National Horticulture Mission (NHM) is being implemented in all
Indian states and union territories, with the exception of the North Eastern States, Himachal Pradesh,
Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttaranchal.
● Mission for Integrated development of Horticulture: It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme for the holistic
growth of the horticulture sector covering fruits, vegetables, root & tuber crops, mushrooms, spices,
flowers, aromatic plants, coconut, cashew, cocoa and bamboo.+ Under MIDH, Government of India (GOI)
contributes 60%, of total outlay for developmental programmes in all the states (90% for states in North
East and Himalayas) + It also provides technical advice and administrative support to State Governments/
State Horticulture Missions (SHMs) for the Saffron Mission and other horticulture related activities
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY)/National Mission on Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
● Project CHAMAN: It was launched in 2014 under MIDH + Remote sensing technology used for
generating action plan and strategic development of horticulture sector + Implemented by Mahalanobis
national crop forecast centre, Delhi.
29. National Bee Board (NBB): It is a registered society which was re-constituted under the chairmanship of
Secretary (AC & FW) in June, 2006 by the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC
& FW) + Its objective is overall development of beekeeping by promoting scientific beekeeping in the country,
to increase the productivity of crops through pollination support and production of honey, and other beehive
products to increase the income of farmers/beekeepers + NBB is one of the National Level Agencies (NLAs)
under Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
30. Coconut Development Board (CDB): It was formed under the Coconut Development Act, 1979 and came
into existence on 12th January, 1981 to look after the Integrated Development of Coconut + The thrust areas
identified by the CDB programmes under MIDH are: production and distribution of quality planting material,
expansion of area under coconut cultivation especially in potential and non-traditional areas, improving the
productivity of coconut in major coconut producing states, developing technology in post-harvest processing
and marketing activities, product diversification and by-product utilization of coconut for value addition.
31. National Horticulture Board (NHB): Established in the year 1984 by the Government of India as an
autonomous organization and registered as a society with the Registrar of Firms and Societies, with its
headquarters in Gurgaon and 36 field offices located all over the country + Its broad aims are the creation of
production hubs for commercial horticulture development, post-harvest infrastructure and cold chain facilities,
promotion of new horticultural crops, and promotion of horticultural growers’ associations.
32. Central Institute of Horticulture is located at Medziphema (CIH), Nagaland
33. Hunger Hotspot Outlook = Released by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Of UN’s World Food
Programme + Ethiopia and Madagascar are the world's newest "highest alert" hunger hotspots + A yearly
warnings on acute food insecurity + Scale are: Minimal; Stressed; Crisis; Emergency; Famine/Catastrophe.
34. State Of Food Security And Nutrition In The World (SOFI) Report, 2023 = It is a joint publication by Food
and Agriculture Organization, International Fund for Agricultural Development, UNICEF, UN World Food
Programme and WHO + Key findings – Over 700 million people was facing hunger in the world in 2022 + ~2.4
billion individuals did not have consistent access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient food in 2022 + In 2021,
22.3% (148.1 million) children were stunted (too short for their age), 6.8% (45 million) were wasted (too thin
for their height), and 5.6% (37 million) were overweight.
35. FAO Food Price Index (FFPI) = It is a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of
food commodities + It consists of the average of five commodity group price indices weighted by the average
export shares of each of the groups over 2014-2016 + It measures monthly changes for a basket of cereals,
oilseeds, dairy products, meat and sugar + It was introduced in 1996 as a public good to help in monitoring
developments in the global agricultural commodity markets + This marks the seventh successive month of
decline in the index, which is a weighted average of world prices of a basket of food commodities over a base
period value, taken at 100 for 2014-16.
36. The State of Food and Agriculture 2023 = It was released by the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations + It looked at how automation in our agri-food systems can contribute to
achieving sustainable development goals + India's total hidden costs in agrifood systems were approximately
USD 1.1 trillion, ranking as the third-largest globally after China and the United States.
37. Food Insecurity Experience Scale(FIES) = Used by FAO to measure severe food insecurity + Set of eight questions
covers a range of severity of food insecurity + The FIES global reference scale is based on results from the application
of the FIES survey module in countries covered by the Gallup World Poll in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
38. Global Food Policy Report 2023 = Released by IFPRI + Report highlights a range of evidence-based policies
and innovations that should be prioritized and implemented now to tackle adaptation and mitigation in our
food systems + International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a CGIAR research center established in
1975, provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition
+ CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) is a global partnership established in
1971 as a unified international organization engaged in research for a food secured future.
39. Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food security = Released by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) +
It estimates losses caused by disasters on agricultural production over the past three decades and delves into the diverse
threats and impacts affecting the crops, livestock, forestry, and fisheries and aquaculture subsectors.
40. Bio-insecticide by ICRISAT = A 17-year-old research intern at the International Crops Research Institute for
the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) won the prize for developing a cost-effective bio-insecticide from the leaves
of bullock’s heart tree (Annona reticulata), popularly known as Ramphal + Annona reticulate is a small
deciduous or semi-evergreen tree in the plant family Annonaceae and part of the Annonas group. It is best
known for its fruit, called custard apple, a common name shared with fruits of several other species in the same
genus: A. cherimola and A. squamosa + ICRISAT is a non-profit agricultural research organization. It was
founded in 1972 by a consortium of organizations convened by the Ford and the Rockefeller Foundations. Its
charter was signed by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
41. Farmers Distress Index = Developed by Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA) + The index
aims to anticipate distress and prevent its spread from a few farmers to the village or block level by pre-warning
stakeholders, including central, state, local, and non-government agencies, so they can take preventive measures.
42. Digital Crop Survey =
The Centre has launched a
digital crop survey in 12
states on a pilot basis
from the kharif (summer-
sown) season of this year
for better sowing data
collection + It aims “to
create a single and
verified source of truth
about the crop sown data
+ DCS reference
application has been
developed as an open
source, open standard and interoperable public good + The 12 states selected for pilot on DCS are Madhya
Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Odisha,
Assam and Telangana.
43. Krishi Mapper = It is an integrated mobile application which provides geospatial data and access to
information on soil health, weather, and other relevant data for informed decision-making + It will help the
users to access information on soil health, weather, crop health, crop suitability, land use, and other relevant
data for informed decision-making.
44. Sequencing of Banyan and Peepal Trees = Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science Education and
Research (IISER) Bhopal have carried out whole genome sequencing of banyan ( Ficus benghalensis) and
peepal ( Ficus religiosa) from leaf tissue samples + The work helped in identifying 17 genes in the case of
banyan and 19 genes of peepal with multiple signs of adaptive evolution (MSA) that play a pivotal role in the
long-time survival of these two Ficus species + Ficus religiosa or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the
Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to the Moraceae family + The lifespan of the banyan tree is
expected to be 200 – 500 years. Peepal trees, on the other hand, can survive up to 2500.
45. Plant Based Meat = Plant-based meat (also referred as meat alternative or fake meat) is a food product eaten
as a replacement for meat + It bio-mimics or replicates meat, seafood, eggs, and milk derived from animals —
by looking, smelling, and tasting like them + It is made from vegetarian or vegan ingredients such as soy, wheat
gluten, pea protein or myco-protein + It is also found to be a good source of fiber, folate, and iron.
46. Concentrated Poppy Straw (CPS) Alkaloids = For the first time, central government has allowed a private
company, Bajaj Healthcare, to manufacture concentrated poppy straw (CPS) alkaloids and active
pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) from unlanced poppy capsules + CPS is a mechanised system under which
entire harvest is cut by machine, transferred to factories for alkaloid extraction and eliminates diversion of
legally produced opium + Opium is a natural substance obtained from poppy seeds and its derivatives. Alkaloids
obtained from opium are used to make cough syrups, cancer medicines and pain management medicines. Only
12 countries including India allow its cultivation legally for medicinal use. It is used illicitly for smoking,
drinking, or eating as pills.
47. Pullulan Polymer = The biomaterial is derived from the polymer pullulan which is secreted by the fungus
Aureobasidium pullulans + It is an exopolysaccharide, that is, this polymer is secreted by the fungus itself into
the medium on which it is growing + Pullulan as a biomaterial is already successful and widely used
commercially. It is exploited in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industry because of its nontoxic, non
mutagenic and non-immunogenic properties + Backbone of sugar Pullulan is basically a polymeric chain of
glucose + They process the polymer to get a powder which is water soluble +This solution can be applied on
the wound surface and then covered with a sterile gauze. This can also be used in a gel form.
48. Bamboo Charcoal = Typically made from the culms or refuse of mature bamboo plants by means of pyrolysis
process + It is burned in ovens at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1200 °C + This charcoal is an especially
porous charcoal having great adsorbent properties + It can be used for barbeque, soil nutrition and as a raw
material for manufacturing activated charcoal + Activated charcoal is used in treatment of water and air
pollution. When used in soil, it increases the soil’s ability to hold nutrients and water and reduce leaching.
49. DBW187 and DBW222 = Heat resistant variety of wheat + The wheat varieties DBW187 and DBW222 have
been found superior over HD-3086 as far as heat tolerance is concerned + The Indian Council of Agriculture
Research and the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR), Karnal have initiated a specific
project on heat tolerant varieties – “Breeding high-yielding wheat genotypes for stress conditions of warmer
regions of India”. Moreover, ICAR-IIWBR Karnal has collaborated with the International Maize and Wheat
Improvement Centre (CIMMYT), Mexico to develop climate-resilient varieties of wheat + (PBW 803 = The
variety PBW 803 developed by the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana is suitable for irrigated
timely sown condition and resistant to brown rust as well as moderately resistant to stripe rust + This variety is
not recommended as a heat-tolerant variety)
50. PUSA Soft Wheat 1 = It is India’s first soft wheat variety + It is registered with the Protection of Plant Varieties
and Farmers’ Rights Authority + It is suitable for growing in all producing States + Soft wheat requires less
grinding force as its flour has smaller particle size and absorbs less water when kneaded into dough.
51. Rht13 = Scientists at the John Innes Centre, in collaboration with an international team of researchers,
discovered the new ‘reduced height’ or semi-dwarf gene called Rht13 + Rht13 is a new drought-resilient semi-
dwarf wheat gene which can be grown in drier soil conditions + It has given new hopes of sowing the crop in
water-limited environments. Reduced height gene means that seeds can be planted deeper in the soil, giving
access to moisture, without the adverse effect on seedling emergence seen with existing wheat varieties.
Varieties of wheat with the Rht13 gene could be rapidly bred into wheat varieties to enable farmers to grow
reduced-height wheat in drier soil conditions.
52. Rice Fortification = Rice fortification is a process of adding micronutrients to regular rice + Various
technologies are available for rice fortification: Coating, Dusting, Extrusion (This involves the production of
fortified rice kernels (FRKs) from a mixture using an extruder machine) + Under the Ministry’s guidelines, 10
g of FRK must be blended with 1 kg of regular rice + According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg of fortified rice will
contain the following: iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-125 microgram), and vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25
microgram). Fortified rice will be packed in jute bags with the logo (‘+F’) and the line “Fortified with Iron,
Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12” mandatorily printed on the pack + Rice may also be fortified with zinc, vitamin
A, vitamin B-1, vitamin B-2, vitamin B-3 and vitamin B-6 + According to the Ministry, 7 countries have
mandated rice fortification — the United States, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea,
Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.
53. DSR Technique = ‘Direct Seeding of Rice’ (DSR) technique + In transplanting, farmers prepare nurseries
where the paddy seeds are first sown and raised into young plants. In DSR, there is no nursery preparation or
transplantation. The seeds are instead directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine + The DSR
technique is less time consuming and labour intensive than the conventional practice. The DSR technique called
‘tar-wattar DSR’ has been developed and successfully tested on a good scale at farmers’ fields. It helps in saving
irrigation water, there’s lesser weed problem, besides there is reduced incidence of nutrient deficiency,
especially iron, owing to lesser leaching of nutrients and deeper root development + With 34% rise in direct
sowing of rice this year, Punjab farmers save Rs 600 cr, 30% ground water.
54. Saguna Rice Technique (SRT) = Unique new method of cultivation of rice and related rotation crops without
ploughing, puddling and transplanting (rice) on permanent raised beds + It is a zero till, Conservation
Agriculture (CA) type of cultivation method evolved at Saguna Baug, District Raigad, Maharashtra + SRT
insists that all roots and small portion of stem should be left in the beds for slow rotting + No ploughing,
puddling and hoeing is to be done + Weeds are to be controlled with weedicides and manual labor. This system
will get the crop ready for harvesting 8 to 10 days earlier.
55. PR23 = A perennial rice variety developed by China which does not need to be planted every year and can
yield eight consecutive harvests across four years (as these plants with stronger roots grow back vigorously
after each harvest) + (Rice cultivation in India: India is world’s second largest rice producer, after China, and
largest exporter + It is a kharif crop + Needs high temperature (21 to 37º C throughout life period of crop),
high humidity, prolonged sunshine and an assured supply of water + Soils with good water retention capacity
with high amount of clay and organic matter are ideal)
56. Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1638 and Pusa Narendra Kalanamak 1652 = Recently, Indian Agriculture
Research Institute (IARI) has successfully developed two dwarf varieties of Kalanamak rice + New varieties
aimed to deal with the problem of lodging + (Kalanamak Rice = Kalanamak rice has been granted the
Geographical Indication (GI) Tag + The yield of the new varieties is double that of the traditional variety + It
derives its name from black husk + It’s recorded in the GI application that Lord Budhha gifted Kalanamak
paddy to the people of Sravasti so that they remembered him by its fragrance + Lodging -> Kalanamak Rice
has been prone to lodging which is also one main reason for its low yield. Lodging is a condition in which the
top of the plant becomes heavy because of grain formation, the stem becomes weak, and the plant falls to the
ground + It is grown in 11 districts of the Terai region of north-eastern Uttar Pradesh and in Nepal)
57. Ban on Pusa-44 cultivation = Recently, Punjab CM announced that the state will ban the cultivation of the
PUSA-44 paddy variety from next year + Pusa-44 is a paddy variety which was developed in 1993 by the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) + Farmers claim that PUSA-44 yields nearly 85 to 100 mann
(34 to 40 quintals) per acre, while other varieties’ yield average is 28 to 30 quintals per acre + It is a long-
duration variety, taking around 160 days to mature (other varieties: 35-40 days) + generates around 2 per cent
more stubble than short varieties, which becomes a significant concern when cultivated on a large scale.
58. Mustard = Mustard is one of India’s most important winter crops sown between mid-October and late
November + It is a self-pollinating crop difficult to hybridise naturally as it cross-pollinate + It is the largest
edible oil yielding crop of India + Mustard: U.P (leading) + Consumption in % - palm Oil (45%) > Soyabean
oil (20%) > Mustard Oil (10%) > sunflower oil (9%) > Cottonseed (7%) > Groundnut oil (1%) + Recently
FSSAI has banned blending of mustard oil with any kind of edible oil from 2021. Union health ministry had
allowed blending in edible vegetable oil in a notification in 1990.
59. GM Mustard or Dhara Mustard Hybrid (DMH-11) = Dhara Mustard Hybrid- 11(DMH- 11), was developed
by Centre for Genetic Manipulation of Crop Plants (CGMCP) of Delhi University, through transgenic
technology, in 2002. DMH – 11 was created through transgenic technology, primarily involving the Bar,
Barnase and Barstar gene systems - > It was a government sponsored project + DMH-11 is claimed to have
shown an average 28% yield increase over Varuna mustard variety in contained field trials carried out by the
Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) + Recently, The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee
(GEAC) has yet again cleared the proposal for commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) mustard.
Though the GEAC cleared the proposal in 2017, the Ministry vetoed it and suggested that the panel hold more
studies on the GM crop.
60. Sunflower oil = It is an annual flowering plant, native to North and Central America but is now cultivated
worldwide for its versatile uses + Sunflowers are relatively easy to grow and are adaptable to different climates
and soil types + They require full sun exposure and well-drained soil + Sunflower oil is the fourth most
consumed edible oil in India, following mustard, soybean, and palm oil + India imports a substantial amount
of sunflower oil due to limited domestic production + Major producers: Karnataka (highest producer in India);
Telangana and Maharashtra + Major Consumer: Karnataka, Telangana, and Maharashtra.
61. Bollgard II Roundup Ready Flex (BG-II RRF) = After Delhi University’s transgenic hybrid mustard, India’s
biotechnology regulator is set to recommend the “environmental release” of a genetically modified (GM) cotton of
German multinational company Bayer AG that allows farmers to spray the herbicide glyphosate + Glyphosate is a
herbicide and crop desiccant. It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses. It has been majorly
used in tea plantations to control herbicides. It is also used on non-crop areas to control unwanted growth + BG-II RRF
cotton had already undergone biosafety research and field trials by 2012-13 + It is made by German multinational
company Bayer AG + This transgenic cotton contains three alien genes,
● Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab: Isolated from a soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt + Coded for proteins
toxic to the Pink bollworm, spotted bollworm and tobacco caterpillar insect pests.
● Cp4-epsps: Isolated from soil bacterium, Agrobacterium tumafaciens + Its incorporation into cotton
makes the crop “tolerant” to glyphosate + NOTE: Glyphostae cannot be applied on normal cotton, as the
chemical does not distinguish between the crops and weeds.
62. Marigold Flower = Varities are Pusa Bahar, Pusa Basanti, and Pusa Narangi + While the first two varieties
yield yellow flowers, Pusa Narangi flowers are orange in color + Developed by ICAR (The Indian council for
agriculture research + The plants normally start flowering 45--60 days after transplanting and the yield will
reach maximum after 80 days of planting. Harvest lasts 80 to 120 days and if the flowers are large, 60 to 80
numbers will weigh one kg.
63. Tissue Culture Plants = It is culturing plant seeds, organs, explants, tissues, cells, or protoplasts on a
chemically defined synthetic nutrient media under sterile and controlled conditions of light, temperature, and
humidity + Advantages of plant tissue culture: Quickly produce mature plants; Allows them to be moved with
greatly reduced chances of transmitting diseases, pests, and pathogens and Storage of genetic plant material to
safeguard native plant species + In 2020-2021, India’s exports of tissue culture plants stood at US USD 17.17
million, with the Netherlands accounting for around 50 per cent of the shipments. The top ten countries
importing tissue culture plants from India are the Netherlands, USA, Italy, Australia, Canada, Japan, Kenya,
Senegal, Ethiopia and Nepal + Please Note: Department of Biotechnology (DBT) do accreditation of tissue
culture laboratories spread across India.
64. Nano Urea = Despite being fast tracked for commercial application, nano-urea has yet to be fully tested. Nano-
urea approval was granted in February 2021 + Nano-urea is developed by the Indian Farmers and Fertiliser
Cooperative (IFFCO), a multi-state cooperative society (based in New Delhi) and promoted by the government
as a panacea to reduce farmer reliance on packaged urea + It is the only Nano fertiliser approved by the
Government of India and included in the Fertiliser Control Order (FCO) + Earlier, Prime Minister of India
officially inaugurated the country’s first liquid nano urea plant at Kalol, Gujarat.
65. Nano Urea Liquid = World’s 1st Nano Urea Liquid for the farmers, launched by Indian Farmers Fertiliser
Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) + Indigenously developed at Nano Biotechnology Research Centre, Gujarat in
line with Atmanirbhar Bharat and Atmanirbhar Krishi + Aims to replace conventional urea and it can curtail
the requirement of the same by at least 50% + conventional urea is effective 30-40% in delivering nitrogen to
plants, while its effectiveness is over 80% + IFFCO is one of India's biggest cooperative societies that is wholly
owned by Indian Cooperatives. +It was founded in 1967 to enable Indian farmers to prosper through timely
supply of reliable, quality agricultural inputs and services in sustainable manner and to undertake other activities
to improve their welfare.
66. World’s First Liquid Nano Urea Plant =.Opened at Kalol (Gujarat) + Liquid nano Urea is a patented chemical
nitrogen fertiliser developed by IFFCO’s Nano Biotechnology Research Centre at Kalol with nano nitrogen
particles (from 20-50 nm) + Nano Urea is sprayed directly on the leaves of plants and gets absorbed by the
stomata- pores found on the epidermis of leaves + Benefits of Nano urea: Improved agricultural produce with
reduced urea consumption, Significant reduction in urea imports, Reduced soil, water and air pollution, Higher
shelf life etc.
67. Urea Gold: Urea Gold is created by infusing urea with sulfur, creating a composite fertilizer with 37% nitrogen
(N) and 17% sulfur (S) + Introduced to address the Sulphur deficiency in soil and save input costs for the
farmers + It surpasses the existing Neem-coated urea in terms of both economic viability and efficiency + It
facilitates a gradual release of nitrogen, thereby enhancing its availability and uptake by crops + It also reduces
overall fertilizer usage + The inclusion of humic acid in Urea Gold further extends its lifespan as a fertilizer +
As per report, 15 kg of Urea Gold provides comparable benefits to 20 kg of conventional urea, making it a
more efficient and effective choice for farmers.
68. Biofloc Technology = Biofloc technology is a method of high-density fish farming in a controlled environment
in which fish wastages are converted into useful nutrients + The principle of this farming technique is the
generation of nitrogen cycle by maintaining a higher C:N ratio by adding carbohydrate sources + This
technology has been implemented in shrimp farming due to its bottom dwelling habit (benthic species) and
resistance to environmental changes + It is an intensive aquaculture system and is considered to hold an
advantage over conventional systems, as the normally harmful waste produced in conventional aquaculture
can be turned into feed for fish + Those with limited land area could take up fish culture using the technology
+ Please Note: The biofloc is a heterogeneous aggregate of suspended particles and variety of microorganisms
associated with extracellular polymeric substances. It is composed of microorganisms such as bacteria, algae,
fungi, invertebrates and detritus, etc.
69. Southern Rice Black-Streaked Dwarf Virus(SRBSDV) = It is a viral disease that infects the paddy crops
and causes “dwarfing” of the plants + Apart from paddy it can also infect different weed species + First
reported in Southern China in 2001 + It is transmitted by white-backed plant hopper(WBPH) + Typhoons and
strong convection winds can enhance long-distance transmission of this virus + No corrective measure present
for this viral disease.
70. Athelia Rolfsii = Kerala Agricultural University has reported the emergence of a new fungal disease in
jackfruit(Artocarpus heterophyllus) + It is the first time that rot by the fungus Athelia rolfsii is being reported
in jackfruit in India + Athelia rolfsii is a corticioid fungus in the family Atheliaceae. It is a facultative plant
pathogen and is the causal agent of "southern blight" disease in crops + Disease caused by A. rolfsii occurs on
a broad range of crops and can be of economic importance in tropical and subtropical regions of the world.
71. Dieback Disease = The disease posing a threat to the neem trees has been identified as twig blight and dieback disease
in Telangana, and it has reappeared in the state this year on a massive scale + The dieback disease affects leaves, twigs
and the inflorescence of neem trees of all ages. It causes almost 100% loss of fruit production in severely infected trees.
The dieback disease is mainly caused by the fungus Phomopsis azadirachtae + The dieback disease was first reported
in the country during the 1990s near Dehradun in Uttarakhand, while it was first noticed in Telangana in 2019. The
appearance of symptoms starts with the onset of the rainy season and becomes progressively severe in the later part of
the rainy season and early winter + Deficiency or excess of moisture or an essential element may cause dieback,
directly or indirectly + (Neem Tree = Neem is a member of the mahogany family, Meliaceae + Neem trees are
attractive broad-leaved evergreens that can grow up to 30 m tall and 2.5 m in girth + The roots penetrate the soil deeply
+ It is grown from the southern tip of Kerala to the Himalayan hills, in tropical to subtropical regions, in semiarid to
wet tropical regions, and from sea level to about 700 m elevation + Neem oil can be used as a pesticide to control the
proliferation of some species of insects and mites + Neem shows antibacterial, antifungal, and other versatile
properties).
72. Fertilisers in India = India is 2nd largest fertiliser consuming country after China + India is 3rd largest producer
of fertilisers + India imports most of its Fertilizer from China, United Arab Emirates and Spain +Fertilizers
have played an essential role in agricultural production, providing vital nutrients for crops and registering
increasing demands over the years + There are 3 basic types of fertiliser used— urea, Diammonium Phosphate
(DAP), and Muriate of Potash (MOP) + Amongst them, Urea is the most produced (86%), the most consumed
(74% share), and the most imported (52%) + Fertiliser industry forms a part of the eight core industries (Other
core industries are Coal, Crude Oil, Natural Gas, Refinery Products, Steel, Cement and Electricity) + Fertiliser
Subsidy Types:
 Urea = Not Governed by Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme + provided to farmers at statutorily
notified price
 Non Urea = Governed by Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) Scheme (since 2010) + a fixed rate of subsidy
(in Rs./Kg basis) is announced on nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and
Sulphur (S) by the Government on annual basis + Under NBS, MRP of P&K fertilizers has been left
open and fertilizer manufacturers/marketers are allowed to fix the MRP at reasonable rates + Since
2018, DBT (Direct Benefit Transfer) has been introduced whereby money is transferred directly to
retailer's account. Retailers are reimbursed weekly after the actual sale to the farmer.
73. Millets = Millets are coarse grains and a repository of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals + Millets are small-
grained cereals such as sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), foxtail millet (kangni/ Italian millet), little millet
(kutki), kodo millet, finger millet (ragi/ mandua), proso millet (cheena/ common millet), etc. + These crops
require less water than rice and wheat, and are mainly grown in rainfed areas + In India, bajra (3.67%), jowar
(2.13%), and ragi (0.48%) accounted for about 7% of the gross cropped area in the country (during 2018-19)
+ Major producers include Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Haryana + Ministry of Agriculture declared millets such as jowar, bajra, ragi/ mandua, some minor
millets such as kangani/ kakun, cheena, etc, and the two pseudo millets [buckwheat (kuttu) and amaranth
(chaulai)] - as ‘Nutri Cereals’ for their “high nutritive value” + Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has
endorsed India’s call for declaring 2023 as the “International Year of Millets” + India is the world's largest
producer and second-largest exporter of millets + India exports most of it's Millet to United States, United
Arab Emirates and Singapore + The top 3 exporters of Millet are India followed by United States and Vietnam
+ Millets help tackle lifestyle problems such as obesity and diabetes as they are gluten-free and have a low
glycemic index (a relative ranking of carbohydrate in foods according to how they affect blood glucose
levels)+ Super Crop at Growing: They are Photo-insensitive (do not require a specific photoperiod for
flowering) & resilient to climate change; less water consuming and are capable of growing under drought
conditions; have low carbon and water footprint + The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) has bred
Pusa-1201, a hybrid bajra recently.
 Major Millets: Sorghum (Jowar), Pearl Millet (Bajra), Finger Millet (Ragi/Mandua)
 Minor Millets: Foxtail Millet (Kangani), Proso Millet (Cheena), Kodo Millet, Barnyard Millet (Sawa),
Little Millet (Kutki)
 Pseudo Millets: Buck-wheat and Amaranth
74. Millet International Initiative for Research and Awareness (MIIRA): It is a global initiative aimed at
coordinating millet research programmes at the international level and will be launched keeping in mind the
nutritional value and the climate resilient nature of millets + India would provide the "seed money" for MIIRA
to take off, and each G20 member will subsequently be required to pay to its budget in the form of a
membership fee + the MIIRA secretariat will be in Delhi, and India being a major producer of millets, will
ensure a flow of investment from the country’s industry and research bodies.
75. Areca nut = It is a tropical crop generally known as the “betel nut”. + Originated in Madagascar and is widely
grown outdoors in the tropics + It is considered a horticulture crop in the state, a commercial crop at the
national level and dry fruit at the international level + Areca nut is not a native crop of India + Karnataka
produces about 80% of the areca nut in the country, followed by Kerala and Assam + Globally, India is the
leading producer of areca nut, followed by Bangladesh, Myanmar and Indonesia + India at the same time
largest consumer also + Indonesia is the top exporter of areca nut and Thailand is the top importer + Growing
Condition: Temperature range of 14ºC and 36ºC; Ideal rainfall – 750 mm to 4500 mm/ Irrigation and Gravelly
laterite soil + (Sirsi Supari” Gets GI Tag = ‘Sirsi Supari’ grown in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka had
received the Geographic Indication (GI) tag).
76. Turmeric = India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world + The largest
producing states are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu + In the year 2022-23, an area of
3.24 lakh ha was under turmeric cultivation with a production of 11.61 lakh tonnes (over 75% of global
turmeric production) + The leading export markets for Indian turmeric are Bangladesh, UAE, USA and
Malaysia (Turmeric = It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family + Its color comes mainly from
curcumin, a bright yellow phenolic compound that has been in the news for its ostensible potential to fight
cancer + It requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C + Turmeric occupies about 6% of the total area under
spices and condiments in India).
77. India’s Sugar Industry = India ranks first globally in sugar production. It produced about 37 million metric
tons of sugar in 2022 + India is world’s 2nd largest exporter of sugar + Uttar Pradesh > Maharashtra >
Karnataka > Tamil Nadu > Bihar + Sugar industry is the second largest agro-based industry in India after
cotton + It is not only responsible for the livelihood of sugarcane farmers in rural areas but also provides
employment to about 500 thousand workers in the sugar mills + Sugar industry is broadly distributed over two
major areas of production- UP, BHR, HR and PUN in the north and MH, KT, TN and AP in the south +
Sugarcane is grown as a Kharif Crop.+ It needs a hot and humid climate with an average temperature of 21°C
to 27°C. + 75-150 cm rainfall is favourable for sugar cane cultivation.
78. Coffee Cultivation = Coffee is 2nd most important beverage of India after tea + Indigenous to Abyssinia
Plateau (Ethiopia) + The first coffee variety that was introduced in the Baba Budan Giri hill ranges of
Karnataka in the 17th centuryfrom Yemen + British planters established large coffee estates near Chikmagalur
(Karnataka) in 1826;Manantody (Wayanad) and Shevoroys in 1830; Nilgiris in 1839 + Conditions of Growth:
Hot and humid climate; Temperature between 15°C and 28 °C; Rainfall from 150 to 250 cm; Well-drained,
rich friable loams containing a good deal of humus and minerals like iron and calcium are ideal for coffee
cultivation; and Dry weather is necessary at the time of ripening of the berries; entire coffee cultivation is
grown under shade, handpicked and sun dried + Crop is not tolerant to: Frost and snowfall; High temperature
above 30°C and strong sunshine (Hence, generally grown under shady trees on Northern and Eastern aspects
of Hill); Prolonged drought and Stagnant water (Hence, grown on hill slopes) + Indian coffee, grown mostly
in southern states under monsoon rainfall conditions, is also termed as “Indian monsooned coffee” + The two
well known species of coffee grown are the Arabica and Robusta Coffee Production in India [Stats]
 State wise Production: Karnataka > Kerala > Tamil Nadu
 Country Wise Ranking: Brazil(1st) > Vietnam(2nd) > India (6th rank)
 More than 75% of Indian Coffee production is exported.
 Arabica has high market value while Robusta is the majorly manufactured coffee with a share of 72% of
the total production
 India’s share in the global coffee market is less than 5%
79. Basmati Rice = Produced from seven States: J&K, HP, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP and Uttarakhand + 75% of the
Basmati rice is exported to West Asian countries + In 2010, GI Status was given to basmati grown only in Punjab,
Haryana, Delhi, HP, Uttarakhand and parts of western UP and J&K( MP region is NOT included) +Largest area under
Basmati rice is in the state of Haryana (60%) followed by Punjab and Uttar Pradesh + Diseases: Susceptible to two
major diseases: Bacterial Leaf Blight (BLB) and Blast (leaf and collar) diseases caused by the fungus
Magnaportheoryzae. NOTE: Pesticides and fungicides used against these diseases increased the residue levels
permitted in developed countries + Genetic Varieties to fight disease: Pusa Basmati 1885, Pusa Basmati 1847 and
Pusa Basmati 1886 varieties have two genes to resist BLB and two genes to resist blast disease + Iran, Saudi Arabia,
Iraq, UAE, and Yemen were the top 5 destinations of Indian basmati during 2022-23.
80. Rice Cultivation in India: Around 22-24% of world’s production in India + West Bengal is the largest rice
producer in India + Globally, the top rice-producing country is China, followed by India + India is the largest
rice exporter globally with a 45% share in the world rice market + ¼ of country’s total cropped area.
81. Joha rice = Recently, scientists at the Institute of Advanced Study in Science and Technology (IASST), an
autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology explored the nutraceutical properties of
aromatic Joha rice + It is an aromatic rice variety grown in Assam + It is grown in Sali/ Kharif season + Major
Joha varieties included in this are Kola Joha, Keteki Joha, Bokul Joha and Kunkuni Joha + It contains several
antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenolics, which contribute to its beneficial effects + It has two unsaturated fatty
acids viz., linoleic acid (omega-6) and linolenic (omega-3) acid. These essential fatty acids (which humans
cannot produce) can help maintain various physiological conditions + Omega-3 fatty acid prevents several
metabolic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer + It has also proved to be effective in
lowering blood glucose and preventing diabetes onset in diabetic rats.
82. Natural Rubber = India is currently the world’s 3rd largest producer of natural rubber + India is 4th largest
consumer of natural rubber + Kerala – largest – accounts for 78% of production + Natural Rubber (NR) from
the tree species, Hevea brasiliens is grown in tropical humid climatic conditions + Traditional rubber-growing
states comprising Kerala and TN account for 81% of production. +Major non-traditional rubber growing
regions are the North Eastern states of Tripura, Assam and Meghalaya, Odisha, Karnataka, Maharashtra and
West Bengal + Most of the rubber consumption came from the transportation sector, followed by the footwear
industry +The leading countries importing natural rubber from India were Germany, Brazil, the United States
and Italy.+ Export products included automotive tires and tubes, footwear, pharmaceutical goods and hoses,
coats and aprons+ The first rubber plantations in India were set up in 1895 on the hill slopes of Kerala.+
However, rubber cultivation on a commercial scale was introduced in 1902.+ Rubber Board is a statutory body
under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for the overall development of the rubber industry in the
country.+ Head Office of the Board is located at Kottayam in the State of Kerala.+ Natural rubber is produced
from plants possesses elastic properties + Conditions for Growth: It is an equatorial crop, but under special
conditions, it is also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas; Temperature above 25°C with a moist and humid
climate; Rainfall more than 200 cm;rich well-drained alluvial soil.
83. Wheat = Wheat requires cool weather with moderate rainfall. +Temp- optimum range10- 15o C + It requires
50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall, evenly distributed over the growing season + Punjab is known as the wheat
bowl of India + Rabi crop + Wheat ranked 2nd after paddy crop in India, having about 13% of the total cropped
area under it + Wheat is a heat-sensitive crop and the high temperatures in March reduced the all- important
grain-filling period leading to reduced crop weight and affecting the overall yield (6%) with 20% of the wheat
grain shrivelling up + Top Wheat Producing States: Uttar Pradesh > Punjab > Haryana>Madhya Pradesh >
Rajasthan> Bihar>Gujarat + India is 2nd largest producer in world after China + India accounts for less than
1% of the global wheat trade.
84. PBW RS-1 = Punjab Agricultural University has developed a new wheat variety called PBW RS1, which has
high amylose starch content + It has a total starch content of 66-70%, but has 30.33% resistant starch,
compared to only 7.5-10% for other varieties + Used in chapatis, which release glucose slowly into the
bloodstream, increasing satiety + It can help reduce the prevalence of diet-related diseases, including obesity
and diabetes, especially type 2 + However, the average grain yield from the variety is recorded at 43.18 quintals
per hectare, which is below Punjab's average yield of 48 quintals.
85. Jute = Warm, humid climate; 25 to 35°C + 150-250 cm precipitation + Rich delta alluvial soil that receives silt
regularly + India is the leading jute goods-producing country globally, accounting for about 75% of estimated world
production + Top Producers: India > Bangladesh > China + Most of the Jute is consumed domestically, with an
average domestic consumption of 90% of total production + Major producing states: West Bengal, Assam, Bihar,
Orissa, and Andhra Pradesh; mainly depends on West Bengal due to the higher number of mills + India exports jute
and jute products mainly to the USA, the UK, Australia, Belgium, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and
Turkey + Also known as Golden Fibre + Jute Packaging Material (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act,
1987 mandate that 100% production of foodgrains and 20% sugar production must be packaged in jute bags + It not
only consumes carbon dioxide and releases oxygen but also increases soil fertility if grown in crop rotations. +It does
not produce toxic gases while burnt + Steps taken for Jute Industry: Golden Fibre Revolution; Jute Mark India Logo
for authenticity of Jute Products; JUTE –ICARE for using certified seeds, adopting scientific technique and Mandatory
Packaging in Jute Materials: At present, 100% of food grains and a minimum of 20% of sugar are to be compulsorily
packed in jute sacking.
86. Cotton = Fibre, oil and protein yielding crop of global significance + Temperature: Between 21-30°C +
Rainfall: Around 50-100cm + Soil Type: Well-drained black cotton soil of Deccan Plateau + India grows both
short staple (Indian) & long staple (American) Cotton called Narma in North Western + India has distinction
of developing first hybrid cotton in the world + India is the country to grow all four species of cultivated cotton
G.arboreum and Herbaceum (Asian cotton), G.barbadense (Egyptian cotton) and G. hirsutum (American
Upland cotton) + G.hirsutum represents 90% of the hybrid cotton production in India and all the current Bt
cotton hybrids are G. hirsutum + India accounts for around 25% of the total global cotton production + Top
Producers: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana + India got 1st place in the world in cotton
acreage with 130.61 lakh hectares area under cotton cultivation i.e. around 40% of world area of 324.16 lakh
hectares + Around 67% of India’s cotton is grown on rain-fed areas and 33% on irrigated area + India also
produces about 51% of the total organic cotton production of the world + 2nd largest producer and 2nd largest
consumer + Due to its economic importance in India, it is also termed as “White-Gold” + In terms of
productivity, India is on 39 th rank with yield of 447 kg/ha.
 Bt Cotton: It is a genetically modified organism or genetically modified pest-resistant variety of cotton and
96% of total production of cotton in India is Bt Cotton.
 Hybrid Cotton: Cotton made by crossing two parent strains that have different genetic characters. Hybrids
are often spontaneously and randomly created in nature when open-pollinated plants naturally cross-pollinate
with other related varieties
 Varieties Cotton: Cotton produced by process of self- fertilization/autogamy (fusion of two gametes that
come from one individual).
87. Important Trends
88. Important schemes/programmes/acts related to Agriculture

● Agriculture Infrastructure fund: It is a financing facility launched in July 2020 + It aims to provide all-
around financial support to the farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, farmer groups like Farmer Producer
Organisations (FPOs), Self Help Groups (SHGs), Joint Liability Groups (JLGs) etc. and many others to
create post-harvest management infrastructure + It provides support of 3% interest subvention, credit
guarantee support through Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE)
scheme for loan of up to Rs. 2 crore and facility of convergence with other Central and State Government
schemes.
● Agriculture accelerator fund: It will be set up to encourage agri-startups by young entrepreneurs in rural
areas + The Fund will aim at bringing innovative and affordable solutions for challenges faced by farmers
+ It will also bring in modern technologies to transform agricultural practices and increase productivity
and profitability.
 Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture will be created as an open source, open standard, and
interconnected general welfare. It will make it possible for solutions that are inclusive of farmers and help
to increase access to farm inputs, market intelligence, and support for startups in the agriculture sector.
 Indian Institute of Millet Research, Hyderabad, will be supported as the Center of Excellence for
Sharing Best Practices, Research, and Technologies at the International Level in order to make India a
global hub for "Shree Anna".
● PM PRANAM (Prime Minister Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and
Amelioration of Mother Earth): This programme will seek to incentivise states and union territories to
promote alternative fertilisers and the balanced use of chemical fertilisers.
● Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource Centres: Under this10,000 Bio-Input Resource Centres
will be set up, creating a national-level distributed micro-fertiliser and pesticide manufacturing network.
This will impact over 1 crore farmers over the next three years.
● SATHI portal = SATHI (Seed Traceability, Authentication and Holistic Inventory) Portal is a Centralized
Online System for seed traceability, authentication and inventory designed to deal with the challenges of
seed production, quality seed identification and seed certification + It is an initiative of the Ministry of
Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare + Seed authenticity can be traced through a QR code + Note: Seed
certification is voluntary, but seed labeling is compulsory in India.
● PM-KISAN: Implemented by Ministry of Agriculture; it is a central sector scheme with 100% funding
from the Central government aimed at providing income support to the farmers + It provides direct income
support of Rs 6000 per family per year; in three installments of Rs 2000 each directly into the bank
accounts of all landholding farmers irrespective of the size of their land holdings + Entire responsibility
of identification of beneficiary farmer families rests with the State / UT Governments; list will be
published at village level to ensure transparency.
o Exclusions under PM KISAN
▪ All Institutional Land holders. Farmer families in which one or more of its members belong to
following categories.
▪ Former and present holders of constitutional posts o Former and present Ministers/ State Ministers
and former/present Members of Lok Sabha/ Rajya Sabha/ State Legislative Assemblies/ State
Legislative Councils, former and present Mayors of Municipal Corporations, former and present
Chairpersons of District Panchayats.
▪ All serving or retired officers and employees of Central/ State Government Ministries
/Offices/Departments and its field units Central or State PSEs and Attached offices / Autonomous
Institutions under Government as well as regular employees of the Local Bodies (Excluding
Multi- Tasking Staff /Class IV/Group D employees).
▪ All superannuated/retired pensioners whose monthly pension is Rs. 10,000/-or more (Excluding
Multi-Tasking Staff / Class IV/Group D employees) of above category.
▪ All Persons who paid Income Tax in last assessment year o Professionals like Doctors, Engineers,
Lawyers, Chartered Accountants, and Architects registered with Professional bodies and carrying
out profession by undertaking practices.
● PM KISAN Maandhan Yojana: It is a central sector scheme launched on 12th September 2019 to
provide security to the most vulnerable farmer families. PM-KMY is contributory scheme, small and
marginal farmers (SMFs), subject to exclusion criteria, can opt to become member of the scheme by paying
monthly subscription to the Pension Fund. Similar, amount will be contributed by the Central Government.
The applicants between the age group of 18 to 40 years will have to contribute between Rs. 55 to Rs. 200
per month till they attain the age of 60. PMKMY is taking care of the farmers during their old age and
provides Rs. 3,000 monthly pension to the enrolled farmers once they attain 60 years of age, subject to
exclusion criteria. Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) is pension fund manager and registration of
beneficiaries is done through CSC and State Governments.
● Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana: It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in 2015 to promote
water conservation with vision of extending coverage of irrigation “Har Khet ko pani” and improving
water use efficiency “More crop per drop” + Centre- States contribution will be 75:25 per cent; north-
eastern region and hilly states, it will be 90:10. In 2020, the Ministry of Jal Shakti launched a mobile
application for Geo-Tagging of the components of projects under PMKSY.
o Objectives of PMKSY
▪ Convergence of investments in irrigation at the field level.
▪ To improve on-farm water use efficiency to reduce wastage of water.
▪ To enhance adoption of precision-irrigation & other water saving technologies.
▪ To enhance recharge of aquifers and introduce sustainable water conservation practices by
exploring the feasibility of reusing treated municipal based water for peri-urban agriculture and
attract greater private investment in a precision irrigation system.
- Structure: It is formulated by amalgamating 3 ongoing schemes- Accelerated Irrigation
Benefit Programme (AIBP) - Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga
Rejuvenation (now Ministry of Jal Shakti) + Integrated Watershed Management Programme
(IWMP) - Department of Land Resources, Ministry of Rural Development + On-Farm Water
Management (OFWM) - Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC).
- Implementation: Decentralized state level planning and project execution through State
Irrigation Plan and District Irrigation Plan.
● Accelerated Irrigation Benefit program: It was launched in 1996-97 to provide Central Loan Assistance
(CLA) to several major and medium projects which are stuck due to inadequate funds + CLA given in
form of block loans and grants not tied to any sector of development + Priority given to those projects
which benefit Tribal and Drought prone areas + From 1999-2000 onwards, AIBP also can be extended to
minor surface irrigation projects of special category states (North Eastern and Hilly states of HP, Sikkim,
J&K and Uttarakhand) + State contribution is 25% (10% in special category states, projects which benefit
drought prone areas and tribal areas + Currently, this scheme has been subsumed as a component of
Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana.
● Long Term Irrigation Fund (LTIF): LTIF was operationalized by NABARD in 2016- 17 with an initial
corpus of Rs. 20,000 crore for fast tracking the completion of the 99 identified Medium and Major
Irrigation projects under PMKSY + NABARD provides loan towards Central share as well as State Share
with a tenor of 15 years + The Central share is provided to National Water Development Agency (NWDA)
, whereas loan towards State share is availed by the State Governments + Loans towards Central share are
entirely funded through Extra Budgetary Resources (EBRs) in the form of Government of India backed
fully serviced bonds while the State share is entirely funded through market borrowings + The loans are
extended to State Governments at 6% per annum and the difference between the cost of fund for NABARD
and 6% is compensated by Government of India through Interest Subvention.
● Micro-Irrigation Fund: It was operationalized by NABARD with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore in 2019-20
+ Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (MoA&FW), Government of India is the Nodal Ministry
+ The objective of the fund is to facilitate State Governments efforts in mobilizing additional resources
for expanding coverage under micro irrigation and incentivizing its adoption beyond provisions of
PMKSY- PDMC + States may also access MIF exclusively for innovative integrated projects including
projects in PPP mode + State Governments are provided loans at 3% below the cost of funds; the 3% being
compensated by the Govt. of India as interest subvention + Budget 2020-21 announced doubling the initial
corpus to 10,000 crores.
● PM Fasal Beema Yojana
o It was launched in Feb 2016; administered by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
o It replaced the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural
Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
o It seeks to provide farmers with higher insurance cover with a uniformly low premium, that would
sustain agriculture in case of crop losses arise out of change in weather and climate.
o Losses Covered (pre harvest to post harvest) -> Provision of claims up to 25% of sum insured for
prevented sowing + It expands the definition of disaster to include aspects like flooding of crops and
damage after harvest + Provision of individual farm level assessment for Post-harvest losses against
the cyclonic and unseasonal rains for the crops kept in the field for drying up to a period of 14 days,
throughout the country.
o Prescribed premium is 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5% for all rabi crops; In
case of annual commercial and premium is 5% for horticulture crops.
o No upper limit on government subsidy-> It does not cap premium rates so that famrers get full sum assured.
o Central government provides subsidy of 25% in irrigated areas and 30% for unirrigated areas from
2020 (Initially liability on premium subsidy shared 50:50 by centre and states).
o PMFBY and Weather based crop insurance scheme was made voluntary for all farmers from Feb 2020.
o Insurance companies have to now spend 0.5% of the total premium collected on Information,
Education and Communication (IEC) activities.
o Note: It does not cover certain losses like wild animals, nuclear risks, theft, riots etc.
o The scheme was once mandatory for loanee farmers, but 2020, the Centre changed it to make it
optional for all farmers.
o The Centre decided in February 2020 to limit its premium subsidy to 30% for unirrigated areas and
25% for irrigated ones (from the existing unlimited). Previously, the central subsidy had no upper
limit.
● Mahila Kisan Sashaktikaran Pariyojana(MKSP): Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare +
started in 2011 + sub component of Deendayal Antodaya Yojana- NRLM (DAY-NRLM) + aims to
improve present status of women in Agriculture, and to enhance opportunities available to empower her
+ recognizes identity of “Mahila” as “Kisan” and strives to build capacity of women in domain of agro-
ecologically sustainable practices + Upto 60% (90% for North Eastern States) of the funding support for
such projects is provided by the government.
● Kisan Sarathi: Recently, jointly launched by Ministry for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare and Union
Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology + It is a digital platform to facilitate farmers to get
‘right information at right time’ in their desired language + It will help farmers to interact and avail
personalised advisories on agriculture and allied areas directly from the respective scientists of Krishi
Vigyan Kendra (KVKs).
● Bhartiya Prakritik Krishi Padhati (BPKP): Minister for Agriculture and Farmers'
Welfare + sub scheme of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) since 2020-21 for promotion of
traditional indigenous practices + emphasizes on exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs and promotes
on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching; use of cow dung-urine formulations;
plant based preparations and time to time working of soil for aeration + financial assistance of Rs 12200/ha
for 3 years is provided for cluster formation, capacity building and continuous handholding by trained
personnel, certification and residue analysis.
● Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India): Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare
+ PGS is process of certifying organic products + The certification is in the form of a documented logo or
a statement + PGS certification is only for farmers or communities that can organise and perform as a
group. Individual farmers or groups of farmers smaller than five members are not covered under PGS +
PGS is applicable on on- farm activities comprising of crop production, processing and livestock rearing,
etc + Off-farm processing activities such as storage, transport and value addition activities by
persons/agencies other than PGS farmers away from the group are not covered under PGS + Please Note:
Organic foods are also required to comply with the requirements of labelling of FSSAI in addition to that
of NPOP or PGS-India.
● Horticulture Cluster Development Programme (CDP): Launched by Minister for Agriculture and
Farmers' Welfare + central sector programme + implemented by National Horticulture Board + starting
with pilot phase in12 horticulture clusters (out of total 53 clusters) covering nearly 10 lakh farmers from
11 States/UTs + It will leverage geographical specialisation and promote integrated and market led
development; making Indian horticulture clusters globally competitive.
● National Beekeeping & Honey Mission(NBHM): Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare + part
of Atma Nirbhar Bharat scheme + implemented through National Bee Board (NBB), Department of
Agriculture Cooperation & Farmers + aims for the overall promotion & development of scientific
beekeeping to achieve objectives of Sweet revolution + central sector scheme.
● Agri Stack: Recently, Minister for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding with Microsoft to run a pilot programme for 100 villages in 6 states + The MoU requires
Microsoft to create a ‘Unified Farmer Service Interface’ through its cloud computing services + This
comprises a major part of the ministry’s plan of creating ‘AgriStack’ (a collection of technology-based
interventions in agriculture, on which everything else will be built) + centralised farmer database + each
farmer will have a unique digital identification (farmers’ ID) that contains personal details, information
about the land they farm, as well as production and financial details + Each ID will be linked to the
individual's digital national ID Aadhaar + Department of Agriculture,
Cooperation and Farmers Welfare entered into MoU with Microsoft Corporation to start pilot project in
100 villages of six states - UP, MP, Gujarat, Haryana, Rajasthan and AP.
 Krishi 24/7 = It is the first-ever AI-powered solution for automated agricultural news monitoring and
analysis, with support from google.org. + It scans and translates news articles in multiple languages,
aiming to identify and manage agricultural news articles of interest for timely decision-making + The
Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) in collaboration with Wadhwani Institute for
Artificial Intelligence (Wadhwani AI) has developed Krishi 24/7.
● Beej Gram Yojana: Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India, is implementing
Beej Gram Yojana (Seed Village Programme) since 2014-15 to upgrade the quality of farmer’s saved
seeds + Aim to improve the stock of farm saved seeds for enhancing crop production/productivity +
Implementing agencies - State Departments of Agriculture, State Agriculture Universities, KVKs, State
Seeds Corporation, National Seeds Corporation, State Farms Corporation of India, State Seeds
Certification Agencies, Dept of Seed Certification. One implementing agency will be identified for the
area/locality and is to be authorized by the State Government + Financial assistance for distribution of
foundation/certified seeds is available for up to one acre per farmer. These seeds are distributed at 50% of
seed cost for cereal crops and 60% for pulses, oilseeds, fodder and green manure crops + To encourage
farmers to develop storage capacity of appropriate quality, assistance will be given to farmers for
making/procuring of Pusa Bin/Mud bin/Bin made of paper pulp to store seeds on their farm.
● GOBAR-DHAN Portal: Jointly launched by Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Petroleum; Ministry of
Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying; and Ministry of Jal Shakti + The Galvanizing Organic Bio-
Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme is implemented under the Swachh Bharat Mission
Gramin-Phase 2, by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under the Jal Shakti ministry.
Galvanizing Organic Bio-Agro Resources Dhan (GOBAR-DHAN) scheme converts cattle dung and solid
waste to compost, biogas and bio-CNG + one village in every district of the country would be selected for
its implementation.
● Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme: Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare + under
National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) +To encourage farmers to plant multi-purpose trees
together with the agriculture crops for climate resilience and an additional source of income to the farmers,
as well as enhanced feedstock to inter alia wood-based and herbal industry + to incentivize the farmers to
take up sericulture-based Agroforestry models thereby contributing to the Make in India and Make for the
World vision is added as part to SMAF + Implementing agency: Department of Agriculture, Cooperation
and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW).
● Kisan Credit Card scheme: It was introduced in 1988 to provide adequate and timely short term credit
needs for farmers during cropping season + It is implemented by RRBs, Cooperative banks, public sector
commercial banks and private sector banks + If loan amount is above Rs 1.6 lakhs, then cardholder has to
pledge his land as mortgage + Card is valid for five years and any number of withdrawal and repayments
can be made within the limit + It covers post-harvest expenses, produce marketing loan, consumption
requirements of farmer household, working capital for maintenance of farm assets and activities allied to
agriculture, investment credit requirement for agriculture and allied activities. In the Budget-2018-19,
government announced the extension of the facility of Kisan Credit Card (KCC) to fisheries and animal
husbandry farmers to help them to meet their working capital needs.
● Nutrient Based Subsidy Scheme, 2010:
● Protection of Plant varieties and Farmer’s right act, 2001: It was enacted by India in 2001 to grant
IPRs to plant breeders, researchers and farmers who developed any new or extant plant species. It is in
conformity with International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), 1978.
o Rights under the Act
▪ Breeders Rights: They will have exclusive rights to produce, sell, market, distribute, import or export the
protected variety. Breeder can appoint licensee and may exercise for civil remedy in case of infringement
of rights.
▪ Researchers Rights: Researcher can use any of the registered variety under the Act for conducting
experiment or research. It includes the use as an initial source of variety for the purpose of developing
another variety but repeated use needs prior permission of the registered breeder.
o Farmers Rights
▪ A farmer who has evolved or developed a new variety is entitled for registration and protection in like
manner as a breeder of a variety. Farmers variety can also be registered as an extant variety.
▪ Right to save, use, sow, re-sow, exchange, share or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety
protected under the act in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into force of this Act
provided farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety protected under PPV&FR Act,
2001.
▪ Farmers are eligible for recognition and rewards for the conservation of Plant Genetic Resources of land
races and wild relatives of economic plants.
▪ Compensation: There is also a provision for compensation to the farmers for non- performance of
variety under Section 39 (2) of the Act, 2001.
▪ Farmer shall not be liable to pay any fee in any proceeding before the Authority or Registrar or the
Tribunal or the High Court under the Act.
● Essential Commodities Act, 1955
o Objective: It used to curb inflation by allowing the Centre to enable control by state governments of
trade in a wide variety of commodities.
o Implementing Agency: Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
o There is no specific definition of essential commodities in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955.
Section 2(A) states that an “essential commodity” means a commodity specified in the Schedule of
the Act.
o The Act gives powers to the central government to add or remove a commodity in the Schedule.
o By declaring a commodity as essential, the government can control the production, supply, and
distribution of that commodity, and impose a stock limit.
o Commodities included under the act: Drugs; Fertilizer, inorganic, organic or mixed; Foodstuffs, edible
oilseeds and oils; Hank yarn made wholly from cotton; Petroleum and petroleum products; Raw jute
and jute textile; seeds of food-crops and seeds of fruits and vegetables, cattle fodder, jute, cotton.
● Priority Sector Lending guidelines: It mandates all Domestic Schedule commercial banks (and foreign
banks with 20 branches or above) to earmark 18% of their adjusted Net Bank Credit (ANBC) for lending
to Agriculture + The agriculture category includes three sub-categories viz. farm credit, agriculture
infrastructure and ancillary activities.
o Farm Credit
▪ Loans to individual farmers, SHGs and Joint Liability Groups for agriculture and allied activities
viz. dairy fishery etc.
▪ This includes loans for crops, purchase of farm inputs, loan for pre and post- harvest activities,
loan up to Rs. 50 Lakh against pledge of farm produce; Loans under Kisan Credit Card Scheme;
Loan for purchase of farm land.
▪ Loan to corporate farmers, FPOs, FPCs and Cooperatives is allowed upto 5 crore.
o Agricultural Infrastructure: Warehouses, soil conservation, watershed development, agri-
biotechnology etc.
● Agri-Market Infrastructure Fund: It was announced in 2018 Budget for developing and upgrading
agricultural marketing infrastructure in the 22,000 Gramin Agricultural Markets (GrAMs) and 585
Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) + It is a demand driven scheme; progress dependent on
demand from states + It provides subsidised loans to states and Union Territories for 585 APMC mandis
and 10,000 GrAMs + States can utilise this fund for innovative integrated market infrastructure projects,
including hub and spoke model and in private-public partnership mode.
● Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana: It was a Centrally sponsored scheme launched by GOI to support
organic farming and encourage farmers to adopt eco-friendly concept of cultivation and reduce
dependence on fertilizers and pesticides + Cluster approach-> 50 or more farmers form cluster having 50
acres land to take organic farming; each farmer provided Rs. 20,000 per hectare in three years for seed to
harvesting crops and transporting them to market + There will be no liability on the farmers for expenditure
on certification.
● Nutrition Smart Villages Initiative = Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare + A programme on
“Nutrition Smart Village” will be initiated to strengthen the Poshan Abhiyan + It will be part of the Azadi
Ka Amrit Mahotsav, to commemorate the 75th year of Independence of India + The initiative aims to
reach out to 75 villages across India with the objectives of promoting nutritional awareness, education and
behavioural change, harnessing traditional knowledge and implementing nutrition-sensitive agriculture.
89. Important committees and its focus areas
 National Commission on Farmers (NCF) [Chairperson: MS Swaminathan] – Land reforms, credit and
insurance and irrigation reforms
 Ashok Dalwai committee- Doubling Farmers Income by 2022
 Ashok Gulati committee – Crop Insurance
 Krishna Raj Committee – Dairy sector
 Mihir Shah Committee – Water resource management
 Radha Mohan Singh Committee – Agricultural education and research
 Shanta Kumar Committee – Food Corporation of India (FCI) reforms
[REFER OUR SAMADHAAN SCHEMES Document for more AGRICULTURE related Schemes]

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AGRICULTURE

+ It is highest in Nagaland and lowest in Kerala.

● Steps taken to promote agri-exports

Fig: Import share in 2021-22 (Top-10 Items)

88. Important schemes/programmes/acts related to Agriculture

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