Agriculture is a significant theme in the UPSC Prelims, consistently featuring questions across various dimensions like sustainable farming, government schemes, agricultural practices, and climate-smart techniques. This compilation of past years’ questions (PYQs) offers an insightful overview of the type and scope of questions asked in the Prelims, helping aspirants align their preparation with the exam’s requirements.
Below is a curated list of agriculture-related PYQs to refine your knowledge and approach.
Q. Consider the following materials [2024]:
1. Agricultural residues
2. Corn grain
3. Wastewater treatment sludge
4. Wood mill waste
Which of the above can be used as feedstock for producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel?
Answer: (c)
Q. Consider the following statements: [2023]
1. The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for Niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds.
2. Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop.
3. Some tribal people in India use Niger seed oil for cooking.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer: (c)
Q. In the context of India’s preparation for Climate-smart Agriculture, consider the following statements: [2021]
1. The ‘Climate-Smart Village’ approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme.
2. The project of CCAFS is carried out under Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France.
3. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR’s research centres.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: (d)
Q. How is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming? [2021]
1. Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant.
2. Conventional chemical farming can cause an increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming.
3. Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions.
4. Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer: (b)
Q. Among the following, which one is the least water-efficient crop? [2021]
Answer: (a)
Q. Under the Kisan Credit Card scheme, short-term credit support is given to farmers for which of the following purposes? [2020]
1. Working capital for maintenance of farm assets
2. Purchase of combine harvesters, tractors and mini trucks
3. Consumption requirements of farm households
4. Post-harvest expenses
5. Construction of family house and setting up of village cold storage facility
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (b)
Q. In India, which of the following can be considered as public investment in agriculture? [2020]
1. Fixing minimum support price for agriculture produce of all crops
2. Computerisation of Primary Agriculture Credit Societies
3. Social capital development
4. Free electricity supply to farmers
5. Waiver of agricultural loans by the banking system
6. Setting up of cold storage facilities by the governments
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (c)
Q. Which of the following factors/policies were affecting the price of rice in India in the recent past? [2020]
1. Minimum Support Price
2. Government’s trading
3. Government’s stockpiling
4. Consumer subsidies
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (d)
Q. Consider the following statements: [2020]
1. In the case of all cereals, pulses and oil-seeds, the procurement at Minimum Support Price (MSP) is unlimited in any State/UT of India.
2. In the case of cereals and pulses, the MSP is fixed in any State/UT at a level to which the market price will never rise.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (d)
Q. With reference to chemical fertilisers in India, consider the following statements: [2020]
1. At present, the retail price of chemical fertilisers is market-driven and not administered by the government.
2. Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
3. Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertiliser, is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. With reference to pulse production in India, consider the following statements: [2020]
1. Black gram (urad) can be cultivated as both kharif and rabi crop.
2. Green gram (moong) alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.
3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (a)
Q. The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost-free days and 50 to 100 centimetres of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop. Which one of the following is the crop? [2020]
Answer: (a)
Q. What is/are the advantage/advantages of zero tillage in agriculture?
1. Sowing of wheat is possible without burning the residue of the previous crop.
2. Without the need for nursery of rice saplings, direct planting of paddy seeds in the wet soil is possible.
3. Carbon sequestration in the soil is possible.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (d)
Q. In the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practice(s) of eco-friendly agriculture? [2020]
1. Crop diversification
2. Legume intensification
3. Tensiometer use
4. Vertical farming
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (d)
Q. The economic cost of Foodgrains to the Food Corporation of India is Minimum Support Price and bonus (if any) paid to the farmers plus [2019]
Answer: (c)
Q. With reference to the cultivation of kharif crops in India in the last 5 years, consider the following statements: [2019]
1. Area under rice cultivation is the highest.
2. Area under the cultivation of jowar is more than that of oilseeds.
3. Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.
4. Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.
Which of the statements given above are correct?
Answer: (a)
Q. Among the agricultural commodities imported by India, which one of the following accounts for the highest imports in terms of value in the last 5 years? [2019]
Answer: (d)
Q. As per the NSSO 70th round ‘Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households’, consider the following statements: [2018]
1. Rajasthan has the highest percentage share of agricultural households among its rural households.
2. Out of the total agricultural households in the country, a little over 60 per cent belong to OBCs.
3. In Kerala, a little over 60 per cent of agricultural households reported to have received maximum income from sources other than agricultural activities.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (c)
Q. With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of ‘Conservation Agriculture’ assumes significance. Which of the following falls under the Conservation Agriculture? [2018]
1. Avoiding the monoculture practices
2. Adopting minimum tillage
3. Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
4. Using crop residues to cover soil surface
5. Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (c)
Q. With reference to the Genetically Modified mustard (GM mustard) developed in India, consider the following statements: [2018]
1. GM mustard has the genes of a soil bacterium that give the plant the property of pest-resistance to a wide range of pests.
2. GM mustard has the genes that allow the plant cross-pollination and hybridisation.
3. GM mustard has been developed jointly by the IARI and Punjab Agricultural University.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. With reference to agricultural soils, consider the following statements:
1. A high content of organic matter in soil drastically reduces its water holding capacity.
2. Soils do not play any role in the sulphur cycle.
3. Irrigation over a period of time can contribute to the salinisation of some agricultural lands.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. Consider the following: [2018]
1. Areca nut
2. Barley
3. Coffee
4. Finger millet
5. Groundnut
6. Sesamum
7. Turmeric
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has announced the minimum support price for which of the above?
Answer: (b)
Q. With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements: [2018]
1. The ‘National Programme for Organic Production’ (NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
2. The ‘Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority’ (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP.
3. Sikkim has become India’s first fully organic State.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. Consider the following statements: [2017]
The nation-wide ‘Soil Health Card Scheme’ aims at:
1. Expanding the cultivable area under irrigation.
2. Enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.
3. Checking the overuse of fertilizers in farmlands.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. What is/are the advantage/advantages of implementing the ‘National Agriculture Market’ (NAM) scheme? [2017]
1. It is a pan-India electronic trading portal for agricultural commodities.
2. It provides the farmers access to a nationwide market, with prices commensurate with the quality of their produce.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (c)
Q. Which of the following has/have occurred in India after its liberalization of economic policies in 1991? [2017]
1. Share of agriculture in GDP increased enormously.
2. Share of India’s exports in world trade increased.
3. FDI inflows increased.
4. India’s foreign exchange reserves increased enormously.
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Answer: (b)
Q. Consider the following statements: [2017]
1. The Standard Mark of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is mandatory for automotive tyres and tubes.
2. AGMARK is a quality Certification Mark issued by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (a)
Q. Why does the Government of India promote the use of ‘neem-coated urea’ in agriculture? [2016]
Answer: (b)
Q. With reference to ‘Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana,’ consider the following statements: [2016]
1. Under this scheme, farmers will have to pay a uniform premium of 2 percent for any crop they cultivate in any season of the year.
2. This scheme covers post-harvest losses arising out of cyclones and unseasonal rains.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer: (b)
Q. In the context of food and nutritional security of India, enhancing the ‘Seed Replacement Rates’ of various crops helps in achieving the food production targets of the future. But what is/are the constraint/constraints in its wider/greater implementation? [2014]
1. There is no National Seeds Policy in place.
2. There is no participation of private sector seed companies in the supply of quality seeds of vegetables and planting materials of horticultural crops.
3. There is a demand-supply gap regarding quality seeds in case of low value and high-volume crops.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer: (b)
Q. Among the following States, which one has the most suitable climatic conditions for the cultivation of a large variety of orchids with minimum cost of production, and can develop an export-oriented industry in this field? [2011]
Answer: (b)