Page 1 of 4
GS Foundation 2025
AGRICULTURE Batch D1D2D3 - #Eco025
1. Indian agriculture:
- Faming types – (1) Subsistence Farming → Farming for consumption; (2) Intensive
and Extensive Farming → Different on amount of production per unit of land; (3)
Commercial Farming → for profit; (4) Plantation Farming → Single cash crop for
national and international market; (5) Mixed Farming → Both raising crops and
rearing animals;
- Characteristics → Subsistence farming domination; Predominance of food crops;
Monsoon Dependency → Rain fed; Primitive technology and poor irrigation
infrastructure; Both tropical and temperate crops; Small Size Land holdings;
Labour intensive cultivation;
- Challenges → High cost of farm inputs; Over irrigation and soil exhaustion;
Stagnation in production of major crops; Depleting ground water; Global climate
changes; Impact of Globalization → Issues with WTO over subsidies, Global
competition; Farmers Suicides; Inadequate transport infra; Land tenure and
ownership; Fragmentation of land holdings;
2. Significance and contribution of Agriculture in Indian Economy:
- Role in generating employment → Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy → 45.6
% employment;
- Food Security;
- Contribution to national income→ 19.9 % of GDP;
- Supply of raw materials to agro-based industries→ jute, textile, edible oil etc;
- Market for industrial products → Farm Machines and other consumer goods and
services;
- Role in Internal and external trade → Agri Exports jump 17.34 % to $41.25 USD in
FY21;
3. Major Crops of India:
- Rabi→ sown in winter (October to December) → Harvested in summer (April to
June) → Wheat, Gram, Peas, Barley;
- Kharif→ sown with onset of monsoon → Harvested in September-October→ Rice,
Maize, Soyabean, Cotton, Bajra, Dals;
- Zaid→ Summer crop (March-June) → Between Kharif and Rabi crops → Vegetables
and Fodder crops;
4. Cropping Pattern:
- Types – (1) Monocropping → one crop at a time; (2) Mixed Cropping → two or more
crops simultaneously; (3) Intercropping → Different crops in a row on the same
field; (4) Crop Rotation → Different crops are grown in pre-planned succession;
- Influencing factors - (1) Physical Factors → Soil and climate; (2) Economic Factors
→ Farm size, (3) Economic motivation → Availability of input, duration; (4) Infra
Facilities → Irrigation, transport, storage, trade and marketing, post-harvest
handling; (5) Government Policies → Green revolution, MSP; (6) Social Factors →
Food habits and culture;
- Issues associated - (1) Primitive technology → Resource and Labour intensive; (2)
Unsustainable Practices→ increased use of fertilizers and pesticides→ both
economically and environmentally unsustainable; (3) Dominance of cereal crops →
Decline in coarse grain production;
5. Farm Subsidies and MSP:
- Types of subsidies –
(1) Direct Farm Subsidies → cash → PM kisan scheme, Farm Loan waiver;
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9311740400, 9311740900 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
Page 2 of 4
GS Foundation 2025
AGRICULTURE Batch D1D2D3 - #Eco025
(2) Indirect Farm subsidies → Fertilizer subsidy; Irrigation Subsidy; Power
Subsidy; Agriculture Infrastructure Subsidy, seed subsidy;
- Problems → Overutilization of fertilizers; Unsustainable fiscal deficit; Distortion in
copping pattern; lack of financial inclusion; Benefits big farmers;
- WTO → Agreement on Agriculture → Types → Green, Amber and Blue box;
- MSP Determination → Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP)
[After receiving the feed-back from them, the Cabinet Committee on Economic
Affairs (CCEA) of the Union government takes a final decision on the level of MSPs];
Currently MSP for 23 Farm commodities; Rationale→ to protect farmers against
market fluctuations and food security;
- Challenges - Inflation; Distorted cropping patterns→ more focus on high MSP
crop; Environmental issues; Dependency on middle man, only few farmers
benefitted-6%; Storage and wastage of procured grains at MSP;
6. Buffer stock and food security:
- Objective - To ensure food security; Monthly release of food grain → Through PDS;
Price stabilization and market intervention → Supply from buffer in case of high
inflation; Better returns for farmers;
- Issues - warehousing issues → wastage; High cost of administration; Corruption
and black marketing; Trade distortion → WTO; Diversion→ Black market, Liquor
manufacturing etc;
Shanta Kumar Committee on Buffer Stock
7. Public Distribution System:
- Objective → Protection of low-income group; Ensuring equitable distribution;
controlling price rise of essential commodities;
- Functioning - Farmer produce from farmer (at MSP) → Central Govt (FCI) → State
Govt → Fair Price shop → Beneficiary;
- Problems - Open ended procurement → no upper limit → storage issues →
wastage; Identification of beneficiaries → fake ration cards; black marketing; Focus
on wheat and rice → incomplete nutrition; Long transportation → leakage and
wastage; Gap b/w existing and required storage capacity;
- Solutions → Aadhar linked and digitised ration card; Computerizes Fair price shop;
Direct Benefit Transfer; GPS technology → tracking movement of trucks; Web
based citizen portal → Grievance redressal mechanism;
8. Irrigation and irrigation system:
- Total agricultural land - 140 million hectare → 48.8 Irrigated → 51.2 % Rainfed;
- Types – (a) Canal Irrigation → 24% of total irrigation → 60 % of canal irrigation in
Northern plains; (b) Well Irrigation → 63% of total irrigation→ Methods → Persian
Wheel, Rahat, Dhingly etc; (c) Tube Well Irrigation → Depends on water table →
requires power; (d) Tank Irrigation → Both Natural and man-made → Ponds and
lakes; (e) Sprinkler Irrigation → Uses less water→ suitable for uneven land and
shallow soil; (f) Drip Irrigation → Soil moisture is kept at optimum level→ Most
efficient of all methods;
- Problems & challenges of Irrigation - Decline in Water table, Power shortage,
Increased cost of irrigation, Interstate water disputes, regional imbalance in
irrigation infra; Environmental impacts→ Impacts of dams and reservoirs, water
logging and salinization; Socio-Economic Impacts→ Regional inequalities, Human
migration and displacement;
- Government Initiatives –
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9311740400, 9311740900 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
Page 3 of 4
GS Foundation 2025
AGRICULTURE Batch D1D2D3 - #Eco025
(1) PMKSY [Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana] → components → (a)
Accelaerated Irrigation benefit programme (b) Har Khet ko Pani (c) Per drop
More crop (d) Watershed development;
(2) Micro Irrigation Fund [under NABARD]
(3) “On Farm Water Management [component of National Mission on Sustainable
Agriculture]
9. Agricultural Marketing:
- Methods - Rural Haats → Catering to village; Mandi → Serves to number of villages,
localities and even towns; Co-operative Marketing→ Formed on a cooperative
basis → Group of farmers voluntarily pool their resources; Regulated Markets→
Regulated and controlled by state govt through market committee;
- Issues – (1) Lack of grading and standardization → No assurance of better price
for better quality→ No incentive to produce better quality; (2) Improper
warehousing → Considerable wastage and loss; (3) Presence of large no of middle
man → Less profit to farmers → higher prices in cities; (4) Inadequate Transport
Facilities → Farmers forced to dump in nearby market (particularly perishable
goods) → sold at lower price; (5) Unregulated market malpractices → Undefined
and unspecified charges; (6) Inadequate credit facilities → Limits modernisation
and future opportunities of better price;
- Steps taken by government - Agriculture Marketing Infrastructure Fund→
Upgradation of rural haats to Gramin agricultural markets; All India Warehousing
Corporation → to construct network of warehouses; E-NAM→ Pan Indian
electronic trading portal for farmers; PM-AASHA → ensure adequate price to farm
produce; Kisan Rails → Refrigerated coaches for perishable farm products; FCI →
Procurement ,Storage and distribution of food grains; APMC; Model Contract
Farming Act 2018 → Framers and Farmer Producer organisations to directly link
with companies;
The Food Corporation of India (FCI), the nodal central agency of the
Government of India, along with other State Agencies undertakes procurement
of crops
10. E-Technology:
- Government initiatives; AGMARKNET → web-based information about prices and
commodity arrival; e-chaupal → alternative channel for marketing, weather
updates and Agri practices; e-NAM; Kisan Call Centre; Digital Agriculture Mission
→ support and accelerate projects based on new tech like AI, Drones, Block Chain
etc;
11. Technology Missions:
- Objective - Increase oil seed production → reduce imports of edible oil; Increase
dairy production→ Income generation of employees → expand dairy cooperatives;
- Missions →
(1) Technology Mission on Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize;
(2) National Horticulture Mission;
(3) National Mission on Oilseed and Palm Oil;
(4) National Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture;
(5) National Livestock Mission; Technology Mission on Coconut;
(6) Horticulture Mission for North East states and Himalayan states;
(7) National Mission on Agriculture Extension & Technology
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9311740400, 9311740900 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
Page 4 of 4
GS Foundation 2025
AGRICULTURE Batch D1D2D3 - #Eco025
12. Economics of Animal Rearing:
- Contribution → Employment Generation; food Security; Sustainable Agriculture;
Contribution toward → National Income → Exports;
- Benefits - Alternative Income to farmers; Nutritional requirement and food;
Manual labor alternative → Bullock kart, Rahat etc; Organic farming → Manure, Bio
gas etc; Inclusive growth → self-employment, gender equality, reduces rural
poverty and malnutrition;
- Issues involved - Diseases; Contribution to GHG; Lack of quality check; low yield
→ Milk production to no of animals; Informal economy;
- Steps by Government - Dairy Processing and Infrastructural Development Fund
→ enable the milk processing capacity in the country; National Animal Disease
Control Programme (NADCP) → control foot and mouth disease e-Pashu Haat
Portal → connect the breeders and farmers; Rashtriya Gokul's mission →
indigenous breeds→ sustain the extreme climatic conditions.
Forum Learning Centre: Delhi - 2nd Floor, IAPL House, 19 Pusa Road, Karol Bagh, New Delhi - 110005 | Patna - 2nd floor, AG Palace, E Boring Canal
Road, Patna, Bihar 800001 | Hyderabad - 1st & 2nd Floor, SM Plaza, RTC X Rd, Indira Park Road, Jawahar Nagar, Hyderabad, Telangana 500020
9311740400, 9311740900 | https://academy.forumias.com | [email protected] | [email protected]
