Agriculture: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Indian Economy)
3 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Agriculture (Indian Economy). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–3 of 3 questions
UPSC 2004Indian Economy · Agriculture
Q1. Assertion (A): India does not export natural rubber. Reason (R): About 97% of India’s demand for natural rubber is met from domestic production.
Explanation
Assertion (A) is false: India does export natural rubber, although in limited quantities. While India is primarily a net importer of natural rubber to meet domestic demand, it also exports small amounts, especially of certain grades like RSS (Ribbed Smoked Sheets). Reason(R) is True: In the early years of 2000s, India was a major producer of natural rubber, and around 97% of its domestic demand for natural rubber was met from domestic production.
Additional insight:
Natural Rubber (NR) is a commercial plantation crop from the tree species, Hevea brasiliensis. Natural Rubber is grown in tropical humid climatic conditions. Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, China and India are the major natural Rubber producers globally. Currently India is among the top four largest producers of natural rubber in the world. In recent years, India’s domestic demand for natural rubber is increasing with a significant gap between production and consumption, leading to a substantial reliance on imports to meet the demand shortfall. Currently, NR consumption in India is 14.16 lakh tonnes which is estimated to go up by 5% and close at 14.86 lakh tonnes by end of FY24-25." The gap of around 5.5 lakh tonnes is mostly made up of imported Natural Rubber (NR).
UPSC 2004Indian Economy · Agriculture
Q2. Consider the following statement: India continues to be dependent on imports to meet the requirement of oilseeds in the country because: 1. Farmers prefer to grow food grains with highly remunerative support prices. 2. Most of the cultivation of oilseed crops continues to be dependent on rainfall. 3. Oils from the seeds of free origin and rice bran have remained unexploited. 4. It is far cheaper to import oilseeds than to cultivate the oilseed crops. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The government provides higher and more stable Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for food grains like rice and wheat, which incentivizes farmers to prioritize these crops over oilseeds.
Statement 2 is correct: In 2004-2005, much of India’s oilseed farming depended on monsoon rains, making it sensitive to weather changes. The Economic Survey 2004-05 noted that irregular rainfall in 2004 caused a big drop in the production of rainfed crops like oilseeds and pulses. Most oilseed farming in India still relies on rainfall.
Statement 3 is correct: By 2004, India was producing 650,000 tons of rice bran oil from 4 million tons of rice bran through solvent extraction. However, this was only half of the potential, as the country’s paddy production could generate 9.8 million tons of rice bran annually, but only 5 million tons were processed. The untapped potential of rice bran oil and other non-tradition-al edible oils, like tree-borne oils, contributed to higher import dependence. By 2004, India produced 650,000 tons of rice bran oil from 4 million tons of rice bran, but only half of its 9.8 million-ton potential was utilized. Limited use of non-traditional edible oils like rice bran and tree-borne oils increased import dependence.
Statement 4 is incorrect: Oilseed’s import is not necessarily cheaper to import oilseeds. The import dependency is more because of inadequate domestic production rather than cost advantage.
UPSC 2004Indian Economy · Agriculture
Q3. Consider the following statements: 1. Regarding the procurement of food-grains, the Government of India follows a procurement target rather than an open-ended procurement policy. 2. Government of India announces minimum support prices only for cereals. 3. For distribution under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), wheat and rice are issued by the Government of India at uniform central issue prices to the States/Union Territories. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
Statement 1 is correct: The government sets specific procurement targets for each crop season based on factors like estimated production, buffer stock requirements and market conditions. In case, there is no procurement target, the government allows the procurement agencies like the FCI to buy flexibly from the farmers.
Statement 2 is incorrect: The Government of India announces MSP for a variety of crops, including cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and commercial crops like cotton and jute.
Statement 3 is correct: Under the Targeted public Distribution System (TPDS), wheat and rice are allocated to States/Union Territories by the Government of India at uniform Central Issue Prices (CIP) for distribution to different categories, such as Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2004
(d) A is false but R is true
2
2004
(b) 1, 2 and 3
3
2004
(c) 1 and 3
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Agriculture?
This page covers 3 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Agriculture (Indian Economy), asked from 1996 to 2025. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Agriculture?
Questions on Agriculture (Indian Economy) are available for 18 years, from 1996 to 2025. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
