Agriculture: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Indian Economy)

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Jowar (sorghum) is an important coarse cereal grown in India, mainly in dryland regions. According to Indian Institute of Millet Research (under ICAR) Maharashtra consistently has the largest area under Jowar (sorghum) cultivation in India due to its dryland farming practices. The crop is mostly grown in the rabi season in Maharashtra and contributes significantly to food security and fodder availability in the state.

Statement 2 is incorrect: According to the Economic Survey, in the late 1990s (when this question was framed), while Gujarat is a significant producer of groundnut, the leading position al-ternates with states like Andhra Pradesh depending on the year. Thus the statement claiming Gujarat as the largest producer is wrong.

However, According to Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2023 released by Ministry of Agriculture, Currently, Gujarat is currently the largest producer of groundnut in India.

Statement 3 is correct: Cultivable wasteland refers to land that is suitable for cultivation but remains uncultivated due to reasons like soil degradation, water scarcity, or socio-economic factors. Rajasthan, with its vast desert and arid regions, has the largest area of cultivable wasteland in India. According to the "Agricultural Statistics of Rajasthan, 2020-21," the state reported 37.27 lakh hectares (approximately 9.21 million acres) as cultivable wasteland, accounting for 10.87% of its total reporting area.

Statement 4 is incorrect: States like Karnataka or Tamil Nadu generally show higher per-hectare yields of maize due to better irrigation and agricultural practices compared to Andhra Pradesh.

Explanation

With respect to the year 1999-2000; U.P. (115419 in tonnes) >Maharashtra (53143) >Tamilnadu (34285) > Andhra Pradesh (18508) is the correct decreasing order of the above four sugarcane producing States. The given table shows the production of Sugarcane (in tons) of given states in the years 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-2001. State 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-2001 Uttar Pradesh 116483 115419 106069 Maharashtra 47151 53143 49589 Tamil Nadu 33765 34285 33188 Andhra Pradesh 16503 18508 17690 In recent times, According to the Directorate of Sugarcane Development, production of sugarcane in the following states in 2022-2023 are as follows:

State Production (in Million Tonnes) Uttar Pradesh 225.22 MT Maharashtra 123.97 MT Tamil Nadu 16.92 MT Andhra Pradesh 3.12 MT