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English · हिन्दी · తెలుగు · தமிழ் · മലയാളം · मराठी · ಕನ್ನಡ

Quick recap: Agriculture and food security on one page

മലയാളത്തിൽ വിശദീകരണം

Agriculture and food security · Quick recap · Fact-checked on · how we check

Written with AI from the sources listed at the bottom of this page, then fact-checked by a separate AI.

All three parts of Agriculture and food security condensed for quick revision: MSP, the CACP and cost concepts, procurement, buffer stocks and markets; the public distribution system, the National Food Security Act and free grain; farm credit, NABARD, PM-KISAN, crop insurance and land reforms, with a one-table overview and eight mixed questions.

Each idea is explained first in Malayalam (മലയാളം), ending with the English and Hindi exam terms, followed by the same point in exam English. UPSC Prelims is in English or Hindi, so understand it in Malayalam and revise it in English.

ഈ അധ്യായം ഒരു ചാക്ക് അരിയുടെ പിന്നാലെ നടന്നു: വയലിൽ വിലയും സംഭരണവും (ഭാഗം 1); റേഷൻകട വരെയുള്ള യാത്ര (ഭാഗം 2); കർഷകന് വായ്പ, വരുമാനം, ഇൻഷുറൻസ്, ഭൂമിയവകാശം (ഭാഗം 3). ഇവിടെ മൂന്നും ഒരു പേജിൽ. (→ English: Agriculture and food security · हिन्दी: कृषि और खाद्य सुरक्षा)

In exam EnglishThis chapter followed a sack of grain and the farmer who grew it. Part 1 explained the price the farmer is promised and how grain is bought, stored and marketed. Part 2 explained how the same grain reaches poor households through the public distribution system and the 2013 Act. Part 3 explained the credit, income support, insurance and land rights the farmer needs to keep farming. This recap puts the three parts on one page.
Agriculture and food security at a glance
PartMain institutions and lawsKey numbers and dates
1. Prices, procurement, marketsCACP, CCEA, FCI, state APMC Acts, e-NAM, PM-AASHA, Essential Commodities Act, 195522 MSP crops; MSP at least 1.5 times A2+FL (2018-19); FCI 1965; decentralised procurement 1997-98; farm laws repealed 2021
2. Public distribution and food securityTPDS, Antyodaya Anna Yojana, National Food Security Act, 2013, PMGKAY, One Nation One Ration Card75% rural, 50% urban; 5 kg per person, 35 kg per AAY household; free grain from 1 Jan 2023
3. Credit, income, insurance, landNABARD, RRBs, Kisan Credit Card, PM-KISAN, PMFBY, First Amendment and Ninth ScheduleNABARD 1982; KCC 1998; 7% loans, 4% on prompt repayment; Rs 6,000 a year; premium 2%, 1.5%, 5%

മിനിമം താങ്ങുവില 'ഇതിനു താഴെ പോകില്ല' എന്ന ഉറപ്പ് മാത്രമാണ്, നിയമമല്ല. കാർഷിക ചെലവ് വില കമ്മീഷൻ 22 വിളകൾക്ക് ശുപാർശ ചെയ്യുന്നു, കേന്ദ്ര മന്ത്രിസഭാ സമിതി വിതയ്ക്കു മുമ്പേ പ്രഖ്യാപിക്കുന്നു — 2018-19 മുതൽ ചെലവ് A2+FLന്റെ ഒന്നര മടങ്ങ്. എഫ്സിഐയോ വികേന്ദ്രീകൃത സംഭരണത്തിൽ സംസ്ഥാനമോ ധാന്യം വാങ്ങുന്നു, ബഫർ ശേഖരം സൂക്ഷിക്കുന്നു, കൂടുതലായാൽ പൊതുവിപണിയിൽ വിൽക്കുന്നു. പക്ഷേ ഈ സംഭരണം ശക്തം നെല്ലിനും ഗോതമ്പിനും, ചില സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങളിൽ മാത്രം. (→ English: minimum support price · Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices · decentralised procurement · buffer stock · हिन्दी: न्यूनतम समर्थन मूल्य · कृषि लागत और मूल्य आयोग · विकेंद्रीकृत खरीद · बफ़र स्टॉक)

In exam EnglishThe minimum support price is a floor price, not a legal guarantee. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, which began in 1965 as the Agricultural Prices Commission, recommends it for 22 crops, weighing costs, demand and supply, price trends and inter-crop parity, and the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs announces it before sowing. Since 2018-19 MSP has been at least 1.5 times cost A2+FL, not the wider C2 that farm unions want. The Food Corporation of India (1965) buys grain, often with states doing the buying under decentralised procurement (1997-98), and holds a buffer stock against quarterly norms, selling surplus through the Open Market Sale Scheme. In practice procurement is strong only for wheat and rice in a few states.

സർക്കാർ വാങ്ങാത്ത വിള കാർഷികോൽപ്പന്ന വിപണന സമിതി മുറ്റത്ത് വിൽക്കുന്നു — കൃഷിയും ചന്തയും സംസ്ഥാന വിഷയമായതിനാൽ കേന്ദ്രത്തിന് മാതൃകാ നിയമങ്ങളും ഇ-നാമും മാത്രമേ നൽകാനാവൂ. പിഎം-ആശയിൽ പയറിനും എണ്ണക്കുരുവിനും ചിലപ്പോൾ വിള വാങ്ങാതെ, മിനിമം താങ്ങുവിലയും ചന്തവിലയും തമ്മിലുള്ള വ്യത്യാസം മാത്രം നൽകും. 2020ലെ കാർഷിക നിയമങ്ങൾ 2021ൽ റദ്ദായി. (→ English: Agricultural Produce Market Committee · e-NAM · PM-AASHA · हिन्दी: कृषि उपज मंडी समिति · ई-नाम · पीएम-आशा)

In exam EnglishCrops the government does not buy are sold in regulated markets run by an Agricultural Produce Market Committee under each state's law, since agriculture and markets are State List subjects. The Centre can only offer models: the Model APMC Act (2003), the Model Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act (2017) and the online platform e-NAM (2016). PM-AASHA (2018) supports pulses, oilseeds and copra, partly by paying the gap between MSP and the market price instead of buying the crop. The three farm laws of 2020 tried a national route to freer trade, were stayed by the Supreme Court in January 2021 and were repealed by the Farm Laws Repeal Act, 2021.

പൊതുവിതരണ സമ്പ്രദായം കേന്ദ്രവും സംസ്ഥാനവും ചേർന്ന് നടത്തുന്നു. 1992 വരെ എല്ലാവർക്കും, 1997 മുതൽ പാവപ്പെട്ടവർക്ക് മാത്രം, 2000ൽ ഏറ്റവും പാവപ്പെട്ടവർക്ക് അന്ത്യോദയ. 2013ലെ ദേശീയ ഭക്ഷ്യസുരക്ഷാ നിയമത്തോടെ ഭക്ഷണം അവകാശമായി: ആളൊന്നിന് മാസം 5 കിലോ, അന്ത്യോദയ വീടിന് 35 കിലോ, കുട്ടികൾക്ക് ഭക്ഷണം, അമ്മമാർക്ക് കുറഞ്ഞത് 6,000 രൂപ. 2023 മുതൽ ഈ ധാന്യം സൗജന്യം. വിരലടയാള യന്ത്രവും ഒരു രാജ്യം ഒരു കാർഡും വന്നു. ധാന്യം വലിയ തോതിൽ ചോരുന്നു എന്ന് ശാന്തകുമാർ സമിതി പറഞ്ഞു. (→ English: public distribution system · National Food Security Act · हिन्दी: सार्वजनिक वितरण प्रणाली · राष्ट्रीय खाद्य सुरक्षा अधिनियम)

In exam EnglishThe public distribution system is run jointly: the Centre procures, allocates and fixes the central issue price, and the states identify families and run fair price shops. Universal until 1992, it was targeted at BPL families in 1997, with Antyodaya Anna Yojana (2000) for the poorest. The National Food Security Act, 2013 made food a legal right for up to 75 per cent of the rural and 50 per cent of the urban population: 5 kg per person a month for priority households and 35 kg per Antyodaya household, plus meals for children, maternity benefit of at least Rs 6,000 and a food security allowance if supply fails. From 1 January 2023 this grain is free under PMGKAY. Delivery has been reformed through Aadhaar-linked cards, ePoS machines and One Nation One Ration Card. The Shanta Kumar Committee (2015) found heavy leakage and urged lower coverage and cash transfers.

കർഷകന് വായ്പ സഹകരണ, വാണിജ്യ, ഗ്രാമീണ ബാങ്കുകളിൽനിന്ന്; അവയുടെ പിന്നിൽ നബാർഡ്. കിസാൻ ക്രെഡിറ്റ് കാർഡ് ഒരു വായ്പാ പരിധി, ക്ഷീര, മത്സ്യ കർഷകർക്കും. 3 ലക്ഷം വരെ 7 ശതമാനം, കൃത്യസമയത്ത് അടച്ചാൽ 4 ശതമാനം. പിഎം-കിസാൻ: ഭൂമിയുള്ള കുടുംബത്തിന് വർഷം 6,000. വിള ഇൻഷുറൻസിൽ കർഷകന്റെ വിഹിതം: ഖരീഫ് 2, റാബി 1.5, വാണിജ്യവിള 5 ശതമാനം; ചേരുന്നത് ഇഷ്ടമുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ. (→ English: Kisan Credit Card · crop insurance · हिन्दी: किसान क्रेडिट कार्ड · फ़सल बीमा)

In exam EnglishFarm credit flows through cooperatives, commercial banks and regional rural banks, with NABARD (1982) refinancing them and supervising cooperative banks and RRBs. The Kisan Credit Card (1998) gives a revolving credit limit and since 2018-19 also covers animal husbandry and fisheries. Banks must lend 18 per cent of adjusted net bank credit to agriculture, and interest subvention lets farmers borrow up to Rs 3 lakh at 7 per cent, falling to 4 per cent on prompt repayment. PM-KISAN (2019) pays landholding families Rs 6,000 a year in three instalments, fully funded by the Centre. crop insurance under PMFBY (2016) caps the farmer's premium at 2 per cent for kharif, 1.5 per cent for rabi and 5 per cent for commercial and horticultural crops, and has been voluntary since kharif 2020.

ഭൂപരിഷ്കരണത്തിന് നാലു ഇഴകൾ: ജമീന്ദാരി നിർത്തലാക്കൽ നന്നായി നടന്നു, 1951ലെ ഒന്നാം ഭേദഗതി ഒൻപതാം പട്ടികയിലൂടെ സംരക്ഷിച്ചു; പാട്ടവും പരിധിയും കേരളത്തിലും ബംഗാളിലും ഒഴികെ ദുർബലം; കൈവശഭൂമി ഏകീകരണം പഞ്ചാബിലും ഹരിയാനയിലും വിജയം; 1951ലെ ഭൂദാനം സ്വമേധയാ ദാനം. ഇപ്പോൾ ശരാശരി കൈവശം 1.08 ഹെക്ടർ ആയതിനാൽ ജോലി രേഖകളിലാണ് — വ്യക്തമായ രേഖയുണ്ടെങ്കിലേ വായ്പയും ഇൻഷുറൻസും പിഎം-കിസാനും. (→ English: land reforms · Ninth Schedule · हिन्दी: भूमि सुधार · नौवीं अनुसूची)

In exam Englishland reforms after 1947 had four strands. Abolition of zamindari in the early 1950s went furthest and was protected by the First Amendment (1951), which added Articles 31A and 31B and the Ninth Schedule. Tenancy reform and land ceilings achieved much less outside Kerala and West Bengal, where Operation Barga (1978) recorded sharecroppers; consolidation of holdings worked in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Vinoba Bhave's Bhoodan movement (1951) sought voluntary gifts of land. With an average holding of 1.08 hectares (Agriculture Census 2015-16), the focus today is on digitised land records, SVAMITVA property cards and legal, recorded leasing, because clear records decide who can reach credit, insurance and PM-KISAN.

Exam traps

Recap

Practice questions

Q1. Consider the following statements about the minimum support price:
1. It is announced by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices.
2. Since 2018-19 it has been fixed at least at one and a half times cost A2+FL.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: B. 2 only

Statement 1 is wrong: the CACP only recommends; the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs decides and announces MSP. Statement 2 is correct. So '1 only' and 'Both' are wrong, and 'Neither' is wrong because statement 2 is correct.

Q2. Under decentralised procurement of food grains, which of the following is true?

  1. The FCI alone buys and stores all grain
  2. State governments buy, store and distribute grain, and the Centre bears the cost
  3. Private traders buy grain at MSP on behalf of the Centre
  4. Farmers sell only through e-NAM
Show answer

Answer: B. State governments buy, store and distribute grain, and the Centre bears the cost

Under the scheme of 1997-98 the state itself procures, stores and distributes grain, and the Centre meets the cost. FCI-only buying is the centralised system it replaces; private traders and e-NAM are not part of this scheme.

Q3. Agricultural markets in India are regulated mainly by:

  1. A central law passed under the Union List
  2. State APMC Acts, since markets are a State List subject
  3. Orders of the Food Corporation of India
  4. The Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices
Show answer

Answer: B. State APMC Acts, since markets are a State List subject

Markets and fairs are in the State List, so each state's APMC Act governs its mandis. No Union List law governs them (the 2020 laws were repealed); the FCI buys grain but does not regulate markets; the CACP only recommends prices.

Q4. Consider the following statements about the National Food Security Act, 2013:
1. Priority households are entitled to 5 kg of food grain per person per month.
2. The eldest woman of the household, aged 18 or above, is treated as its head for issuing ration cards.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both statements are correct, as Section 3 and Section 13 of the Act provide. So '1 only' and '2 only' each leave out a correct statement, and 'Neither' is wrong.

Q5. From 1 January 2023, under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana:

  1. An extra 5 kg of grain is given on top of the NFSA quota
  2. NFSA grain is given free to Antyodaya and priority households
  3. NFSA coverage was raised to the whole population
  4. Cash replaced grain in all states
Show answer

Answer: B. NFSA grain is given free to Antyodaya and priority households

From 1 January 2023 the regular NFSA grain became free. The extra 5 kg ran only from April 2020 to December 2022; coverage did not change; cash in place of grain is limited to a few Union Territories.

Q6. Consider the following statements:
1. NABARD was established in 1982 and refinances agricultural loans given by banks.
2. Under the interest subvention scheme, a farmer who repays a short-term crop loan on time pays an effective interest of 4 per cent.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. 1 only
  2. 2 only
  3. Both 1 and 2
  4. Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer

Answer: C. Both 1 and 2

Both are correct: NABARD dates from 12 July 1982 and refinances lending institutions, and the 7 per cent rate falls to 4 per cent with the prompt repayment incentive. So '1 only' and '2 only' each leave out a correct statement, and 'Neither' is wrong.

Q7. Match the following:
A. PM-KISAN
B. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
C. Kisan Credit Card
D. Antyodaya Anna Yojana
1. Crop loss cover with a low farmer premium
2. Rs 6,000 a year to landholding families
3. 35 kg of grain a month for the poorest families
4. Revolving credit limit for crop needs
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

  1. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
  2. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3
  3. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
  4. A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
Show answer

Answer: A. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

PM-KISAN pays Rs 6,000, PMFBY insures crops, the KCC gives a revolving limit and Antyodaya gives 35 kg: A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3. The second code swaps PM-KISAN and PMFBY; the third swaps the KCC and Antyodaya; the fourth swaps PM-KISAN and the KCC.

Q8. With reference to land reforms in India, which one of the following statements is correct?

  1. Land ceiling laws redistributed most of India's farmland to the landless
  2. The Ninth Schedule was added by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951
  3. Land is a Union List subject
  4. The Bhoodan movement was a statutory scheme of the Union Government
Show answer

Answer: B. The Ninth Schedule was added by the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951

The First Amendment of 1951 added the Ninth Schedule to shield land reform laws. Ceiling laws yielded little surplus land; land is a State List subject; Bhoodan was Vinoba Bhave's voluntary movement, not a government scheme.

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