Agriculture and Food Security — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern practice questions on MSP crops, WTO boxes, FCI and procurement, PDS milestones and price deficiency payments, with full explanations.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one before revealing the answer.
Which of the following are kharif crops for which the Government of India announces a Minimum Support Price?
- Ragi
- Nigerseed
- Safflower
- Barley
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
Ragi and nigerseed are among the 14 kharif crops with an MSP. Safflower and barley are rabi crops — they have an MSP too, but they are sown in winter, not in the kharif season.
Answer: A
Consider the following pairs under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture:
| Box | Nature of support | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Amber Box | Trade-distorting support subject to reduction limits |
| 2. | Green Box | Support with minimal or no trade distortion, not capped |
| 3. | Blue Box | Support tied to production-limiting programmes |
How many of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
Solution
All three are correct. Amber-box support (such as market price support and input subsidies) is capped — de minimis 10% of the value of production for developing countries. Green-box support (research, extension, infrastructure, decoupled income support) is not capped. Blue-box support is amber-type support with production-limiting conditions, also uncapped.
Answer: C
Consider the following statements:
- The Food Corporation of India was set up under the Food Corporations Act, 1964.
- Under the Decentralised Procurement scheme, State governments procure, store and distribute foodgrains themselves.
- Under the Open Market Sale Scheme, foodgrains are sold only to exporters.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Solution
Statement 1 is correct — FCI was set up in 1965 under the 1964 Act. Statement 2 is correct — under DCP (1997-98), States procure and distribute, and the Centre reimburses costs. Statement 3 is wrong — the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) sells surplus grain in the domestic market to cool prices and offload excess stocks; it is not an export channel.
Answer: D
Arrange the following in chronological order of their introduction:
- Antyodaya Anna Yojana
- Targeted Public Distribution System
- National Food Security Act
- Revamped Public Distribution System
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
Revamped PDS — 1992; Targeted PDS — June 1997; Antyodaya Anna Yojana — December 2000; National Food Security Act — 2013. The order is 4-2-1-3.
Answer: B
Which one of the following best describes the “price deficiency payment” approach to price support for farmers?
Solution
Under a price deficiency payment, the farmer sells in the open market and the government pays the gap between the MSP and the market price — no procurement or storage is needed. It is one component of PM-AASHA (2018). Option A is physical procurement; option B describes a private-procurement model; option D is direct income support, unrelated to market prices.
Answer: C
Mains
The Public Distribution System is the backbone of India’s food security architecture, yet it faces persistent problems of leakages, exclusion and nutritional adequacy. Critically examine, and suggest measures to revamp it.
Solution
Introduction: The PDS evolved from wartime rationing to a targeted system (1997) and then a legal entitlement under the National Food Security Act, 2013, covering up to 75% of the rural and 50% of the urban population.
Body:
- Strengths: price stability and access for the poor; a lifeline during droughts and the pandemic; legal entitlements with grievance redressal; special provisions for women and children.
- Problems: leakages and diversion in transport and at fair price shops; exclusion errors from outdated beneficiary lists and authentication failures; inclusion errors; cereal-heavy basket with little protein or micronutrients; high economic cost of FCI operations and storage losses; uneven procurement across States.
- Reforms already under way: end-to-end computerisation, Aadhaar seeding, ePoS devices, One Nation One Ration Card for portability.
- Way forward: regular updating of beneficiary lists; diversifying the basket (millets, pulses, fortified rice); decentralised procurement; pilots of cash transfers where markets are deep (Shanta Kumar Committee); strong social audits and vigilance committees.
Conclusion: The task now is to move from food security to nutrition security — a PDS that is leak-proof, portable and nutritionally richer, while keeping its role as a safety net.