Indian Agriculture and Food Security MCQs for UPSC Prelims

This UPSC Prelims practice paper on Indian agriculture and food security has 15 questions on crop seasons, revolutions, MSP, the Public Distribution System and farm schemes. Agriculture is a high-value topic: it is asked in the Prelims under economy and geography, and in the Mains in GS Paper 3. Each answer has a short explanation, and the sections after the key give tables on crop seasons, revolutions, major crops and food security.

Why Agriculture Is Important for UPSC

Farming supports a large share of the population, so every government policy touches it: price support, subsidies, irrigation, credit, marketing and food security. The UPSC likes to connect the basic facts with current events, such as an increase in MSP or a new scheme. If your basics on crops, seasons and institutions are clear, you can understand the news and answer the analytical questions in the Mains with confidence.

Instructions

• Total questions: 15. Suggested time: 15 minutes.
• Each correct answer gives 2 marks and each wrong answer deducts 0.66 marks, as in the real Prelims.
• Attempt all the questions first and check the answer key only after you finish.

Practice Questions

Q1. Which of the following is a Kharif crop?
(a) Wheat
(b) Rice
(c) Mustard
(d) Barley

Q2. Which of the following is a Rabi crop?
(a) Maize
(b) Cotton
(c) Wheat
(d) Jowar

Q3. The 'Father of the Green Revolution in India' is
(a) Verghese Kurien
(b) M. S. Swaminathan
(c) Norman Borlaug
(d) B. P. Pal

Q4. Operation Flood, which made India the largest milk producer, was associated with
(a) Verghese Kurien
(b) M. S. Swaminathan
(c) Jagjivan Ram
(d) C. Subramaniam

Q5. The Minimum Support Price (MSP) of crops is announced by the Government on the recommendation of
(a) NITI Aayog
(b) Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
(c) NABARD
(d) Food Corporation of India

Q6. The National Food Security Act, 2013 provides for coverage of up to
(a) 50 per cent rural and 25 per cent urban population
(b) 75 per cent rural and 50 per cent urban population
(c) 60 per cent rural and 40 per cent urban population
(d) 90 per cent rural and 70 per cent urban population

Q7. The Food Corporation of India (FCI) was established in
(a) 1950
(b) 1965
(c) 1975
(d) 1991

Q8. The Soil Health Card Scheme was launched in
(a) 2005
(b) 2010
(c) 2015
(d) 2020

Q9. The National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) is
(a) A cooperative bank
(b) An online trading platform for agricultural commodities
(c) A crop insurance scheme
(d) An irrigation project

Q10. The first fully organic State of India is
(a) Kerala
(b) Sikkim
(c) Himachal Pradesh
(d) Uttarakhand

Q11. The only genetically modified crop approved for commercial cultivation in India is
(a) Bt Brinjal
(b) Bt Cotton
(c) GM Mustard
(d) Golden Rice

Q12. India is the world's largest producer of
(a) Rice
(b) Wheat
(c) Milk
(d) Maize

Q13. The Kisan Credit Card scheme was introduced in 1998 to provide
(a) Crop insurance
(b) Timely and adequate credit to farmers
(c) Free fertiliser
(d) Minimum support price

Q14. The slogan 'Per Drop More Crop' is associated with
(a) PM Fasal Bima Yojana
(b) Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana
(c) Soil Health Card
(d) e-NAM

Q15. Which State is the largest producer of tea in India?
(a) Kerala
(b) Assam
(c) Karnataka
(d) Tamil Nadu

Answer Key with Explanations

1. Q1: (b) Kharif crops are sown with the onset of the monsoon in June-July and harvested in September-October. Rice, maize, cotton and bajra are examples.
2. Q2: (c) Rabi crops are sown in October-December and harvested in March-April. Wheat, barley, gram, peas and mustard are examples.
3. Q3: (b) M. S. Swaminathan led the effort to bring high-yielding varieties into India. Norman Borlaug is known as the Father of the Green Revolution at the world level.
4. Q4: (a) Verghese Kurien led Operation Flood (the White Revolution), launched in 1970 by the National Dairy Development Board, on the cooperative model of Amul.
5. Q5: (b) The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approves the MSP on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
6. Q6: (b) The Act covers up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population for subsidised food grains.
7. Q7: (b) The FCI was set up in 1965 to procure, store and distribute food grains and to maintain buffer stocks.
8. Q8: (c) The scheme was launched in February 2015 to give farmers a card showing the nutrient status of their soil and a recommendation on fertiliser use.
9. Q9: (b) e-NAM, launched in 2016, is a pan-India electronic trading portal that links the existing mandis to create a unified national market.
10. Q10: (b) Sikkim was declared India's first fully organic State in 2016.
11. Q11: (b) Bt Cotton was approved in 2002 and remains the only GM crop grown commercially in India.
12. Q12: (c) India is the largest producer of milk and pulses in the world. It is the second largest producer of rice and wheat.
13. Q13: (b) The KCC scheme gives farmers short-term credit for crops and other agricultural needs at a low interest rate through banks.
14. Q14: (b) The micro-irrigation component of the PMKSY promotes drip and sprinkler irrigation to save water and raise productivity.
15. Q15: (b) Assam produces the largest share of India's tea, followed by West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Cropping Seasons

The Colourful Revolutions

Leading States for Important Crops

MSP, Procurement and Buffer Stocks

The Government announces the Minimum Support Price for 22 mandated crops every year on the recommendation of the CACP, which was set up in 1965. For sugarcane, a Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) is announced. The Food Corporation of India buys wheat and rice from farmers at the MSP, mainly in some States where the procurement system is strong, and stores them as a buffer stock. These stocks are used to supply food grains through the Public Distribution System and to control prices in the market. Critics point out that this pattern encourages water-intensive crops, and that the benefits do not reach all farmers equally. This is a good point to use in a Mains answer.

Food Security and the PDS

• National Food Security Act, 2013: Gives a legal right to subsidised food grains to up to 75 per cent of rural and 50 per cent of urban people.
• Priority households: 5 kg of food grains per person per month; the poorest families under Antyodaya Anna Yojana get 35 kg per family per month.
• Targeted PDS (1997): Focused the subsidy on the poor families.
• One Nation One Ration Card: Lets a beneficiary take the ration from any fair price shop in the country.
• Buffer stock: Reserve of food grains kept to meet shortages and to stabilise prices.

Major Challenges of Indian Agriculture

Most farm holdings are small and fragmented, which makes mechanisation and modern practices difficult. Many farmers depend on the monsoon because irrigation does not cover all areas. Other problems are low productivity of some crops, post-harvest losses, weak storage, price fluctuations, rising input costs, soil degradation and climate risks. The solutions discussed in the policy are micro-irrigation, crop diversification, Farmer Producer Organisations, better markets such as e-NAM, crop insurance, and natural and organic farming. Read more in our economy notes and the Indian geography notes on soils and crops.

Tricks for Agriculture Questions

• Use the monsoon logic: A crop that needs a lot of water and warm weather is usually Kharif; a crop that needs cool weather to grow and warm weather to ripen is Rabi.
• Link the revolution to the product: Green with grains, white with milk, blue with fish, yellow with oilseeds.
• Remember the institution with its year: FCI 1965, CACP 1965, NABARD 1982, KCC 1998.
• Treat the first and the largest facts carefully: They are asked often, but they change; check the latest data.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Confusing MSP with FRP: MSP is for the 22 mandated crops, and FRP is for sugarcane.
• Mixing the Green Revolution with Operation Flood: One is for food grains and the other for milk.
• Assuming MSP is a legal right: It is a policy decision, not a law.
• Using old data on production: Always cross-check the latest estimates.

After this test, solve the government schemes MCQs, which cover PM-KISAN and crop insurance.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are Kharif and Rabi crops?

Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon in June-July, like rice and cotton, and Rabi crops are sown in October-December, like wheat and mustard.

Who is the father of the Green Revolution in India?

M. S. Swaminathan is called the Father of the Green Revolution in India, while Norman Borlaug is known as its father at the world level.

What was Operation Flood?

Operation Flood was the 1970 programme of the NDDB led by Verghese Kurien that made India the largest milk producer through the cooperative model.

Who announces the MSP?

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs announces the MSP on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.

How many crops are covered by MSP?

The Government announces the MSP for 22 mandated crops, and the FRP is announced for sugarcane.

What is the National Food Security Act, 2013?

It is a law that gives a legal right to subsidised food grains to up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population.

What is the role of the FCI?

The Food Corporation of India procures, stores and distributes food grains and maintains the buffer stock.

What is e-NAM?

e-NAM is an online national trading platform launched in 2016 that links mandis across the country.

Which is the first fully organic State of India?

Sikkim was declared India's first fully organic State in 2016.

Which GM crop is grown in India?

Bt Cotton is the only genetically modified crop approved for commercial cultivation in India.

What does 'Per Drop More Crop' mean?

It is the slogan of the micro-irrigation component of the PMKSY that promotes drip and sprinkler irrigation to save water.

How should I prepare agriculture for the UPSC Prelims?

Learn crop seasons, revolutions, institutions and schemes through tables, and add the latest policy changes from current affairs.