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

Quick recap: Agriculture and food security on one page

मराठीत स्पष्टीकरण

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 Marathi (मराठी), 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 Marathi and revise it in English.

हे प्रकरण एका तांदळाच्या पोत्यामागे चालले: शेतात भाव आणि खरेदी (भाग 1); रेशन दुकानापर्यंतचा प्रवास (भाग 2); शेतकऱ्याला कर्ज, उत्पन्न, विमा, जमिनीचा हक्क (भाग 3). इथे तिन्ही एका पानावर. (→ 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Act, 195522 MSP crops; MSP at least 1.5 times A2+FL (2018-19); FCI 1965; decentralised procurement 1997-98; farm laws repealed 2021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%

किमान आधारभूत किंमत म्हणजे 'यापेक्षा खाली नाही' ही हमी, कायदा नव्हे. कृषी खर्च आणि मूल्य आयोग 22 पिकांसाठी शिफारस करतो, केंद्रीय मंत्रिमंडळ समिती पेरणीआधी जाहीर करते — 2018-19 पासून खर्च A2+FL च्या दीडपट. एफसीआय किंवा विकेंद्रित खरेदीत राज्यच धान्य घेते, राखीव साठा ठेवते, जास्त झाले तर खुल्या बाजारात विकते. पण ही खरेदी मजबूत आहे ती फक्त भात आणि गव्हासाठी, काही राज्यांतच. (→ 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.

सरकार न घेतलेले पीक कृषी उत्पन्न बाजार समिती आवारात विकले जाते — शेती आणि बाजार हे राज्याचे विषय असल्याने केंद्र फक्त आदर्श कायदे आणि ई-नाम देऊ शकते. पीएम-आशामध्ये डाळी, तेलबियांसाठी कधी पीक विकत न घेता किमान आधारभूत किंमत आणि बाजारभाव यांतील फरक तेवढा देतात. 2020 चे कृषी कायदे 2021 मध्ये रद्द झाले. (→ 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.

सार्वजनिक वितरण व्यवस्था केंद्र आणि राज्य मिळून चालवतात. 1992 पर्यंत सर्वांना, 1997 पासून फक्त गरिबांना, 2000 मध्ये अतिगरिबांसाठी अंत्योदय. 2013 च्या राष्ट्रीय अन्न सुरक्षा कायद्याने अन्न हक्क झाले: माणशी महिना 5 किलो, अंत्योदय घराला 35 किलो, मुलांना जेवण, मातांना किमान 6,000 रुपये. 2023 पासून हे धान्य मोफत. अंगठ्याचे यंत्र, एक देश एक शिधापत्रिका आली. शांता कुमार समितीने धान्य मोठ्या प्रमाणात गळते असे सांगितले. (→ 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.

शेतकऱ्याला कर्ज सहकारी, व्यापारी आणि ग्रामीण बँकांकडून; त्यांच्या मागे नाबार्ड. किसान क्रेडिट कार्ड म्हणजे कर्जमर्यादा, दूध आणि मत्स्य शेतकऱ्यांनाही. 3 लाखांपर्यंत 7 टक्के, वेळेवर फेडले तर 4 टक्के. पीएम-किसान: जमीन असलेल्या कुटुंबाला वर्षाला 6,000. पीक विमा योजनेत शेतकऱ्याचा वाटा: खरीप 2, रब्बी 1.5, व्यापारी पिके 5 टक्के; सहभाग ऐच्छिक. (→ 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.

जमीन सुधारणांचे चार धागे: जमीनदारी निर्मूलन चांगले झाले, 1951 च्या पहिल्या दुरुस्तीने नवव्या अनुसूचीतून संरक्षण दिले; कूळ आणि कमाल मर्यादा केरळ, बंगाल वगळता कमकुवत; जमीन एकत्रीकरण पंजाब, हरियाणात यशस्वी; 1951 चे भूदान स्वेच्छेचे दान. आता सरासरी धारण 1.08 हेक्टर असल्याने काम नोंदींवर — स्पष्ट सातबारा असेल तरच कर्ज, विमा, पीएम-किसान. (→ 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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