DAY – 15 (InstaTest-15): Insta 75 Days Revision Plan-2022: Topic – Agriculture, Subject-wise Revision of Tests 12, 13, 25, Textbook based Test 15 and December 2021 CA

Solution : a

Pricing policy for sugarcane

The pricing of sugarcane is governed by the statutory provisions of the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 issued under the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), 1955. Prior to 2009-10 sugar season, the Central Government was fixing the Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) of sugarcane and farmers were entitled to share profits of a sugar mill on 50:50 basis. As this sharing of profits remained virtually unimplemented, the Sugarcane (Control) Order, 1966 was amended in October, 2009 and the concept of SMP was replaced by the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane. A new clause ‘reasonable margins for growers of sugarcane on account of risk and profits’ was inserted as an additional factor for working out FRP and this was made effective from the 2009-10 sugar season. Accordingly, the CACP is required to pay due regard to the statutory factors listed in the Control Order, which are

• the cost of production of sugarcane;
• the return to the grower from alternative crops and the general trend of prices of agricultural commodities;
• the availability of sugar to the consumers at a fair price;
• the price of sugar;
• the recovery rate of sugar from sugarcane;
• the realization made from sale of by-products viz. molasses, bagasse and press mud or their imputed value (inserted in December, 2008) and;
• reasonable margins for growers of sugarcane on account of risk and profits (inserted in October, 2009).

States also announce a price called the State Advisory Price (SAP), which is usually higher than the SMP.

Solution : d

The major biosafety concerns falls into these categories:

Bio-safety of human and animal health

1. Risk of toxicity, due to the nature of the product or the changes in the metabolism and the composition of the organisms resulting from gene transfer.
2. Newer proteins in transgenic crops from the organisms, which have not been consumed as foods, sometimes has the risk of these proteins becoming allergens.
3. Genes used for antibiotic resistance as selectable markers have also raised concerns regarding the transfer of such genes to microorganisms and thereby aggravate the health problems due to antibiotic resistance in the disease causing organisms.

Ecological concerns 

1. Gene flow due to cross pollination for the traits involving resistance can result in development of tolerant or resistant weeds that are difficult to eradicate. 
2. GM crops could lead to erosion of biodiversity and pollute gene pools of endangered plant species. 
3. Genetic erosion has occurred as the farmers have replaces the use of traditional varieties with monocultures.

Environmental concerns

1. Effect of transgenic plants on population dynamics of target and non-target pests, secondary pest problems, insect sensitivity, evolution of new insect biotypes, environmental influence on gene expression, development of resistance in insect population, development of resistance to herbicide
2. Gene escape into the environment- accidental cross breeding GMP plants and traditional varieties through pollen transfer can contaminate the traditional local varieties with GMO genes resulting in the loss of traditional varieties of the farmers.

Solution : d

Plant genetic engineering methods were developed over 30 years ago, and since then, genetically modified (GM) crops or transgenic crops have become commercially available and widely adopted in many countries.

The first-generation GM crops have improved traits like Herbicide-resistant crops (soybeans and maize, Pest resistance (Cotton and corn).  Second-generation GM crops involve enhanced quality traits, such as higher nutrient content. “Golden Rice,” one of the very first GM crops, is biofortified to address vitamin A deficiency. Other biofortification projects include corn, sorghum, cassava, and banana plants, with enhanced minerals and vitamins. Crops can also be modified to ward off plant viruses or fungi. Even though the seed is more expensive, these GM crops lower the costs of production by reducing inputs of machinery, fuel, and chemical pesticides. Important environmental benefits, such as controlling farm runoff that otherwise pollutes water systems, are associated with reduced spraying of chemical insecticides and highly toxic herbicides.

In India, Bt cotton was approved by Government of India in March 2002 as the first transgenic crop for commercial cultivation for a period of three years. Apart from cotton, there are more than 20 crops under research and development in about 50 public and private sector organizations in India.  Out of these, 13 crops have been approved for contained limited field trials in India.

Solution : d

Silk production in India

India has the unique distinction of being the only country producing all the five known commercial silks, namely, mulberry, tropical tasar, oak tasar, eri and muga, of which muga with its golden yellow glitter is unique and prerogative of India. 

Mulberry sericulture is mainly practised in five states namely, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Bodoland, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Tamil Nadu are major silk producing states in the country. North East has the unique distinction of being the only region producing four varieties of silk viz., Mulberry, Oak Tasar, Muga and Eri. Overall NE region contributes 18% of India’s total silk production. 

India is the second largest producer of silk in the world. Among the four varieties of silk produced in 2015-16, Mulberry accounts for 71.8% (20,434 MT), Tasar 9.9% (2,818 MT), Eri 17.8% (5,054 MT) and Muga 0.6% (166 MT) of the total raw silk production of 28,472 MT

Solution : c

National Crop Insurance Programme (NCIP) / Rashtriya Fasal Bima Karyakram (RFBK)

NCIP is a Central Sector Scheme formulated by merging National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), Pilot Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS), Pilot Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS) and and Pilot Coconut Palm Insurance Scheme (CPIS). The scheme came into force from Rabi 2013-14 and covers all districts.

Loanee farmers will be covered on compulsory basis under the component- scheme of NCIP notified by the concerned state, while non-loanee farmers will choose either MNAIS or WBCIS component.

Private sector Insurers with adequate infrastructure and experience will be permitted to implement NCIP besides Agriculture Insurance company of India (AlC).

Solution : a

Agriculture contributes to about 15% of GDP and is a primary livelihood source for more than 50% of Indian population. Indian agriculture has several credits to it such as the following.

• World’s largest producer of spices, pulses, milk, tea, cashew, jute, bananas, jackfruits, etc.
• Second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables, sugarcane, cotton and oilseeds
• Fourth largest producer of agrochemicals. 
• Largest livestock population of around 535.8 million (31%) of world’s livestock
• Largest land area under irrigation
• Top five net exporters in the world

There is immense potential for export of commodities of Agriculture and its allied activities. Institutions like The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), Commodity boards like Coffee Board, Rubber Board, Spices Board, etc. are mandated to promote the export of various Agriculture related commodities.

Solution : b

Difference between certified seed and truthful labeled seed

Solution : b

As per Census 2011, out of total female main workers, 55 per cent were agricultural labourers and 24 per cent were cultivators. 

However, only 12.8 per cent of the operational holdings were owned by women, which reflect the gender disparity in ownership of landholdings in agriculture. Moreover, there is concentration of operational holdings (25.7 per cent) by women in the marginal and small holdings categories.

Solution : d

What is ‘One Health’? 

‘One Health’ is an approach to designing and implementing programmes, policies, legislation and research in which multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes.

The areas of work in which a One Health approach is particularly relevant include food safety, the control of zoonoses (diseases that can spread between animals and humans, such as flu, rabies and Rift Valley Fever), and combatting antibiotic resistance (when bacteria change after being exposed to antibiotics and become more difficult to treat).

Solution : b

WTO And Agricultural subsidies

The subsidies provided by the government to the agricultural sector (i.e., domestic support) is termed by the WTO as Aggregate Measure of Support (AMS). It is calculated in terms of product and input subsidies. The WTO argues that the product subsidies like minimum support prices and input subsidies (non-product) like credit, fertilizers, irrigation and power will cut production cost of farming and will give undue advantage to such countries in their access to the world market—such subsidies are called to cause ‘distortions’ to the world trade. Such subsidies are not permitted in one sense as they have a minimum permissible limit de minimis under the provisions which is 5 per cent and 10 per cent of their total agricultural output in the case of developed and developing countries, respectively.

Amber box

All subsidies which are supposed to distort production and trade fall into the amber box, i.e., all agricultural subsidies except those which fall into the blue and green boxes. These include government policies of minimum support prices (as MSP in India) for agricultural products or any help directly related to production quantities (as power, fertilizers, pesticides, irrigation, etc).

Under the WTO provisions, these subsidies are subject to reduction commitment to their minimum level—to 5 per cent and 10 per cent for the developed and the developing countries, respectively, of their total value of agricultural outputs, per annum accordingly.

Blue box

This is the amber box with conditions. The conditions are designed to reduce distortions. Any subsidy that would normally be in the amber box, is placed in the blue box if it requires farmers to go for a certain production level. These subsidies are nothing but certain direct payments (i.e., direct set-aside payments) made to farmers by the government in the form of assistance programmes to encourage agriculture, rural development, etc.

At present there are no limits on spending on subsidies in the blue box. 

Green box

The agricultural subsidies which cause minimal or no distortions to trade are put under the green box. They must not involve price support. This box basically includes all forms of government expenses, which are not targeted at a particular product, and all direct income support programmes to farmers, which are not related to current levels of production or prices.

The green box subsidies are allowed without limits provided they comply with the policy specific criteria.

Solution : c

Learning: Application of green leaves and twigs of trees, shrubs and herbs collected from elsewhere is known as green leaf manuring. Forest tree leaves are the main sources for green leaf manure. Plants growing in wastelands, field bunds etc., are another source of green leaf manure.

The important plant species useful for green leaf manure are neem, mahua, wild indigo, Glyricidia, Karanji (Pongamia glabra) calotropis, avise(Sesbania grandiflora), subabul and other shrubs.

Advantages

• Green manuring improves soil structure, increases water holding capacity and decreases soil loss by erosion.
• Growing of green manure crops in the off season reduces weed proliferation and weed growth.
• Green manuring helps in reclamation of alkaline soils. Root knot nematodes can be controlled by green manuring.

Perennial shrubs Are Specifically planted for this purpose along roads and wastelands, and their leaves are brought onto the field to be ploughed into the soil. It is the similar to green manuring. One tonne of leaf, on an average, yields about 5 kg of Nitrogen. The common species of plants grown for green manure are Gliricidia maculate, Pongamia vitex etc.

Q Source: http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/orgfarm_green%20leaf%20manure.html

Solution : c

Justification: Precision agriculture is an application of breakthrough digital farming technologies. Over $4.6 billion has been invested in agriculture tech companies—sometimes called agtech.

Precision agriculture (PA), satellite farming or site specific crop management (SSCM) is a farming management concept based on observing, measuring and responding to inter and intra-field variability in crops. The goal of precision agriculture research is to define a decision support system (DSS) for whole farm management with the goal of optimizing returns on inputs while preserving resources.

GPS

The practice of precision agriculture has been enabled by the advent of GPS and GNSS. The farmer’s and/or researcher’s ability to locate their precise position in a field allows for the creation of maps of the spatial variability of as many variables as can be measured (e.g. crop yield, terrain features/topography, organic matter content, moisture levels, nitrogen levels, pH, EC, Mg, K, and others). Similar data is collected by sensor arrays mounted on GPS-equipped combine harvesters.

Robots

Self-steering tractors have existed for some time now, as John Deere equipment works like a plane on autopilot. The tractor does most of the work, with the farmer stepping in for emergencies. Technology is advancing towards driverless machinery programmed by GPS to spread fertilizer or plow land. Other innovations include a solar powered machine that identifies weeds and precisely kills them with a dose of herbicide or lasers. Agricultural robots, also known as AgBots, already exist, but advanced harvesting robots are being developed to identify ripe fruits, adjust to their shape and size, and carefully pluck them from branches.

Drones and satellite imagery

Drone and satellite technology are used in precision farming. This often occurs when drones take high quality images while satellites capture the bigger picture. Light aircraft pilots can combine aerial photography with data from satellite records to predict future yields based on the current level of field biomass. Aggregated images can create contour maps to track where water flows, determine variable-rate seeding, and create yield maps of areas that were more or less productive.

The Internet of things

The Internet of things is the network of physical objects outfitted with electronics that enable data collection and aggregation. IoT comes into play with the development of sensors and farm-management software. For example, farmers can spectroscopically measure nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in liquid manure, which is notoriously inconsistent.

They can then scan the ground to see where cows have already urinated and apply fertilizer to only the spots that need it. This cuts fertilizer use by up to 30%. Moisture sensors in the soil determine the best times to remotely water plants. The irrigation systems can be programmed to switch which side of tree trunk they water based on the plant’s need and rainfall.

Q Source: AR:  http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/PRECISION_FARMING_TECHNOLOGIES_new.pdf

Solution : d

Justification: Apart from conventional methods of propagation micropropagation has been standardized and it has also been commercialized in few crops. Some research leads in this direction are listed hereunder

Propagation Methods

• Propagation through cuttings
• Propagation through layering
• Propagation through grafting
• Propagation through budding
• Propagation through modified organs

Propagation through cuttings

• Propagation through cuttings is an easy and less expensive method of vegetative propagation.
• A cutting is usually a division of the stem, or root or leaf of a plant.
• Cutting is extracted from a plant part and planted in the soil.

Propagation through grafting

• Grafting is a propagation technique usually employed to improve the quality of the nursery stock or to produce seedlings that carry the plus qualities of a mother plant.
• It is carried out by bringing together two vegetative parts from two different plants of a same species and joining them together to grow as a single plant.
• Usually the stem branches are used for the purpose of grafting

Budding: It is yet another propagation technique where a vegetative bud is excised from a mother plant and used as the scion material. The technique involves.

The removal of selected vegetative bud along with a patch of bark from the scion plant and inserting it on to the stock plant.

Q Source: http://agritech.tnau.ac.in/horticulture/horti_Propogation_micropropgation.html

Solution : d

Learning: Cotton is grown between latitudes of 37° north and 30° south in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions and on every continent.

Ideal conditions for the cotton plant are:

• Long vegetation periods (175 to 225 days) without frost.
• Constant temperatures between 18 and 30°.
• Ample sunshine and fairly dry conditions.
• A minimum of 500 mm of water between germination and boll formation.
• Deep, well-drained soils with a good nutrient content.

It grows best on black and alluvial soils.

China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton.

 Q Source: Basics: Cropping pattern

Solution : c

Justification:  Agri horticulture is a form of agroforestry where fruit trees are the tree components. This system provides for a higher income per unit area, with the additional income being generated from fruit yield. It also serves as an option to the farmer even in case of crop failure. Sometimes, well maintained and well established orchard bring even higher returns than the field crops. Fruit trees also provide protection to degraded lands. The species of fruits to be grown depend largely on the amount of rainfall. Porous, aerated and deep soils are good for fruit growing. These systems require high initial investment and care.

Agroclimatic Region

The grouping of different physical areas within the country into broadly homogenous zones based on climatic and edaphic factor.

Agroecological Zone

A major area of land that is broadly homogenous in climatic and edaphic factors, but not necessarily continuous, where a specific crop exhibits roughly the same biological expression.

Q Source: Agritech TNAU: Glossary

Solution : d

• While Winds drive ocean currents in the upper 100 meters of the ocean’s surface, Ocean currents also flow thousands of meters below the surface. These deep-ocean currents are driven by differences in the water’s density, which is controlled by temperature (thermo) and salinity (haline).This process is known as thermohaline circulation.

• It is also known as the Global Ocean Conveyor or Great Ocean Conveyor Belt.

Solution : b

Solution: MARPOL is an IMO’s International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) and it has regulations on prevention of pollution by garbage, which prohibits the discharge of plastics (including fishing gear) into the sea

from ships.

Solution : b

Indian and UK: Trade Relations

• UK is India’s 14th largest trade partner and trade between India and UK touched $15.5 billion with a trade surplus in favour of India.
• The UK is a huge source of foreign direct investment in India and India is also one of the largest investors in the UK economy.

Solution : b

Article 262: Adjudication of disputes or complaints relating to waters of inter- State rivers or river valleys.

Solution : d

Through land reclamation to accommodate growing urban population has led to loss of whole or certain portions of water bodies. Charkop Lake in Maharashtra, Ousteri Lake in Puducherry, Deepor beel in Guwahati are well-known examples of water bodies that were encroached.

Solution : c

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PM-GKAY) is a scheme as part of Atmanirbhar Bharat to supply free food grains to migrants and poor.

Under this special scheme (PMGKAY), around 80 Crore NFSA beneficiaries covered under both categories of NFSA, namely Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Priority Householders (PHH), will be provided with an additional quota of free-of-cost foodgrains (Rice/Wheat) at a scale of 5 Kg per person per month, over and above their regular monthly entitlements under NFSA.

In 2020 it included pulses but now its stopped

Solution : c

the Act provides for coverage of upto 75% of the rural population and upto 50% of the urban population for receiving subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), thus covering about two-thirds of the population. The eligible persons will be entitled to receive 5 Kgs of foodgrains per person per month at subsidised prices of Rs. 3/2/1 per Kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains. The existing Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) households, which constitute the poorest of the poor, will continue to receive 35 Kgs of foodgrains per household per month.

The Act also has a special focus on the nutritional support to women and children. Besides meals to pregnant women and lactating mothers during pregnancy and six months after the child birth, such women will also be entitled to receive maternity benefit of not less than Rs. 6,000. Children upto 14 years of age will be entitled to nutritious meals as per the prescribed nutritional standards. In case of non-supply of entitled foodgrains or meals, the beneficiaries will receive food security allowance. The Act also contains provisions for setting up of grievance redressal mechanisms at the District and State levels. Separate provisions have also been made in the Act for ensuring transparency and accountability.

Solution : d

AGMARK is a certification mark used for agricultural products in India.

This mark assures that the product conforms to a set of standards approved by the Directorate of Marketing and Inspection of the Government of India.

This mark is issued by the BIS to those products which conform to a set of standards aimed at causing the least impact on the ecosystem

Solution : c

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting the Union Budget 2022 on Tuesday said that portals such as Udyam, e-Shram, National Career Service (NCS) and Atmanirbhar Skilled Employee-Employer Mapping (ASEEM) will be interlinked.

The minister said the interlinking will widen their scope. “They will now perform as portals with live, organic databases, providing G2C, B2C and B2B services.

These services will relate to credit facilitation, skilling, and recruitment with an aim to further formalise the economy and enhance entrepreneurial opportunities for all

While Udyam is the new portal launched by the government for the registration of businesses as MSMEs, e-Shram was created to develop a national database of unorganised workers.

On the other hand, NCS offers a variety of employment-related services like job search, job matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, apprenticeship, internships etc., online.

Lastly, the ASEEM portal acts as a platform that matches the supply of skilled workforce with the market demand to facilitate better livelihood opportunities for youth

Solution : c

• Pradhan Mantri Annadata Aay SanraksHan Abhiyan’ (PM-AASHA) is an umbrella scheme to ensure Minimum Support Price (MSP) to farmers.
• It comprises the erstwhile Price Support Scheme (PSS) with certain modifications and rolling out of new schemes of Price Deficiency Payment Scheme (PDPS) and pilot of Private Procurement and Stockist Scheme (PPSS).
• Under PM-AASHA, States/UTs are offered to choose either PSS and PDPS in a given procurement season with respect to particular oilseeds crop for the entire State. Pulses and Copra are procured under PSS.
• Only one scheme i.e. PSS or PDPS may be made operational in one State with respect to one commodity. Further, states have the option to roll out PPSS on pilot basis in district/selected APMCs of district involving the participation of private stockist for oilseeds.
• Further, wheat paddy and coarse grains are procured under the existing schemes of Department of Food and Public Distribution and Cotton is procured under the existing schemes of Ministry of Textiles. It is helping farmers in getting increased MSP which provides adequate returns over the cost of production.

Solution : d

The central focus of this passage is the ‘disruption of habitat’ which has affected wildlife. Illegal mining is mentioned in the last line and is certainly not the central focus. Extinction of wildlife is also not directly mentioned and is only touched upon briefly and is not the central theme. The central theme which runs across the whole passage is habitat fragmentation and thus the right answer is option (d).

Solution : a

Given, radius of overhead tank – 2 m, and height

of overhead tank = 7 m.

So, volume of overhead tank =πr2h = 88 m3

and volume of underground tank = 5.5 x 4 x 6 = 132 m3

So, water left in the underground tank volume of underground tank volume of overhead tank = 132 – 88 =  44 m3

Hence, 44/132, i.e.1/3 portion of the underground tank is still filled

Solution : c

One couple is A2 A1. A3 and A6 are the children of A5. So, the other couple is A5,A4.

A5 is a Director. A4 is a female writer. A2 is a lawyer.

So, A1 is a Chef and hence a female. A4 is the mother of A3 and A6.

A1 has one son and one grandson. So, A5 is the son of A1 and A3 or A6 is the grandson.

The grandson is a male civil engineer and the grand-daughter is a college going student.

A1 is the grandmother of A3.

Solution : c

The alphabets are coded as follows :
D E L H I C A L C U T T A
7 3 5 4 1 8 2 5 8 9 6 6 2
So, in CALICUT, C is coded as 8, A as 2, L as 5, I as 1, U as 9 and T as 6. Thus, the code for
CALICUT is 8251896

Solution : c

Suppose the boy got x sums right and 2x sums wrong.
Then, x + 2x = 54
3x = 54
x = 18.