Insta PT 2022 Exclusive: Agriculture

INSTA PT 2022
EXCLUSIVE
AGRICULTURE
JANUARY 2021 – FEBRUARY 2022
INSTA PT 2022 EXCLUSIVE (AGRICULTURE)
NOTES
Table of Contents
Government Schemes/ Programmes ............................................................................. 3
1. SWAMITVA SCHEME ................................................................................................... 3
2. PRADHAN MANTRI FASAL BIMA YOJANA ..................................................................... 3
3. BEED MODEL OF CROP INSURANCE ............................................................................. 4
4. RASHTRIYA GOKUL MISSION........................................................................................ 5
5. RIVER RANCHING PROGRAMME .................................................................................. 6
6. AGRICULTURE INFRASTRUCTURE FUND ...................................................................... 6
7. PANDIT DEEN DAYAL UPADHYAY UNNAT KRISHI SHIKSHA YOJANA (PDDUUKSY) .......... 7
8. MISSION FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF HORTICULTURE (MIDH)....................... 8
9. LARGE AREA CERTIFICATION SCHEME ......................................................................... 8
10. PRODUCTION LINKED INCENTIVE SCHEME FOR FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRY
(PLISFPI) ............................................................................................................................. 9
11. AGRICULTURAL MARKETS AND FARMER FRIENDLY REFORMS INDEX ........................ 9
12. SUB-MISSION ON AGROFORESTRY (SMAF) SCHEME ............................................... 10
13. NATIONAL AGRICULTURE MARKET (E-NAM) .......................................................... 10
14. RASHTRIYA KRISHI VIKAS YOJANA .......................................................................... 11
15. SUGAR DEVELOPMENT FUND ................................................................................ 11
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and Minimum Support Prices ....... 13
1. MINIMUM SUPPORT PRICE (MSP) ............................................................................. 13
2. FAIR AND REMUNERATIVE PRICE (FRP)...................................................................... 14
Major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country .................................... 15

1. SAFFORN BOWL PROJECT.......................................................................................... 15
2. LANDRACES .............................................................................................................. 15
3. MILLET PRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 15
4. GI CERTIFIED MANGOES ............................................................................................ 16
5. GI CERTIFIED JALGAON BANANA ............................................................................. 16
6. GI-CERTIFIED GHOLVAD CHIKOO ............................................................................... 16
7. SHAHI LITCHI ............................................................................................................. 16
8. WORLD’S 1ST GM RUBBER SAPLING .......................................................................... 17
9. OPIUM CULTIVATION ................................................................................................ 17
10. MACS 1407............................................................................................................ 17
11. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCES OF EDIBLE OIL ............................................. 18
12. BASMATI RICE ....................................................................................................... 19
13. PULSES .................................................................................................................. 19
14. JUTE ...................................................................................................................... 20
15. COTTON ................................................................................................................ 20
16. ASAFOETIDA .......................................................................................................... 21
17. ORGANIC FARMING IN INDIA ................................................................................. 21
Recent Developments / Technologies ......................................................................... 23

1. FORTIFIED RICE ........................................................................................................ 23
2. ANTI-METHANOGENIC FEED SUPPLEMENT: HARIT DHARA ........................................ 23
3. PRECISION AGRICULTURE.......................................................................................... 24
4. NANO UREA LIQUID .................................................................................................. 24
5. BAO-DHAAN ............................................................................................................. 25
www.insightsonindia.com 1 InsightsIAS
NOTES
6. AQUAPONICS: ........................................................................................................... 25
7. DIRECT SEEDING OF RICE .......................................................................................... 25
8. GM SEEDS ................................................................................................................. 26
9. INTERCROPPING ....................................................................................................... 26
10. MICRO IRRIGATION ............................................................................................... 27
11. FERTIGATION......................................................................................................... 28
Departments / Organisations ...................................................................................... 29

1. NATIONAL DAIRY DEVELOPMENT BOARD .................................................................. 29
2. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKET COMMITTEE (APMC) .......................................... 29
3. NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE MARKETING FEDERATION OF INDIA
LTD (NAFED) .................................................................................................................... 29
Miscellaneous............................................................................................................. 31
1. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME ..................................................................................... 31
2. WORLD FOOD DAY .................................................................................................... 31
3. UN FOOD SYSTEMS SUMMIT ..................................................................................... 32
4. WORLD BEE DAY ....................................................................................................... 32
5. PRACTICES CAN REDUCE EMISSIONS FROM AGRICULTURE ........................................ 33
NOTES
Government Schemes/ Programmes
1. SWAMITVA scheme
The government has said that it plans to prepare digital maps of all its 6,00,000 villages and pan-
India 3D maps will be prepared for 100 cities under SVAMITVA scheme.
Overview and key features of the SVAMITVA (Survey of Villages and Mapping with Improvised
Technology in Village Areas) Yojana’:
Launched on Panchayati Raj Diwas (April 24th, 2020). It was extended to all states. Earlier, it was
launched only for 9 states.
● The scheme seeks to map residential land ownership in the rural sector using modern
technology like the use of drones.
● The scheme aims to revolutionize property record maintenance in India.
● The scheme is piloted by the Panchayati Raj ministry.
● Under the scheme, residential land in villages will be measured using drones to create a non-
disputable record.
● Property card for every property in the village will be prepared by states using accurate
measurements delivered by drone-mapping. These cards will be given to property owners and
will be recognised by the land revenue records department.
Benefits of the scheme:

● The delivery of property rights through an official document will enable villagers to access
bank finance using their property as collateral.
● The property records for a village will also be maintained at the Panchayat level, allowing for
the collection of associated taxes from the owners.
2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) has successfully entered its seventh year of
implementation with the Kharif 2022 season, completing six years of its implementation since its
announcement on 18 February 2016.
Meri Policy Mere Hath to be launched:

● As part of the celebrations, the Govt. has launched a doorstep distribution drive to deliver
crop insurance policies to the farmers ‘Meri Policy Mere Hath’ in all implementing States.
● The campaign aims to ensure all farmers are well aware and equipped with all information on
their policies, land records, the process of claim and grievance redressal under PMFBY.
Performance of PMFBY:
1. Till date, the scheme has insured over 30 crore farmer applications (5.5 crore farmer
applications on year-on-year basis).
2. Over the period of 5 years, more than 8.3 crore farmer applications have benefited from the
scheme.
3. Moreover, Rs.95,000 crores claims have been paid as against Rs. 20,000 crore farmers share.
About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana:

● It is in line with the One Nation – One Scheme theme- It replaced National Agricultural
Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (MNAIS).
● Launched in 2016.
● Coverage: The Scheme covers all Food & Oilseeds crops and Annual Commercial/Horticultural
Crops for which past yield data is available and for which requisite number of Crop Cutting
Experiments (CCEs) are being conducted under General Crop Estimation Survey (GCES).
NOTES
● Premium: The prescribed premium is 2% to be paid by farmers for all Kharif crops and 1.5%
for all rabi crops. In the case of annual commercial and horticultural crops, the premium is
5%.
Objectives:
1. To provide insurance coverage and financial support to the farmers in the event of failure of
any of the notified crops as a result of natural calamities, pests & diseases.
2. To stabilise the income of farmers to ensure their continuance in farming.
3. To encourage farmers to adopt innovative and modern agricultural practices.
4. To ensure flow of credit to the agriculture sector.
PMFBY to PMFBY 2.0 (overhauled PMFBY):

• Completely Voluntary: It has been decided to make enrolment 100% voluntary for all farmers
from 2020 Kharif.
• Limit to Central Subsidy: The Cabinet has decided to cap the Centre’s premium subsidy under
these schemes for premium rates up to 30% for unirrigated areas/crops and 25% for irrigated
areas/crops.
• More Flexibility to States: The government has given the flexibility to states/UTs to
implement PMFBY and given them the option to select any number of additional risk
covers/features like prevented sowing, localised calamity, mid-season adversity, and post-
harvest losses.
• Penalising the Pendency: In the revamped PMFBY, a provision has been incorporated
wherein if states don’t release their share before March 31 for the Kharif season and
September 30 for rabi, they would not be allowed to participate in the scheme in subsequent
seasons.
• Investing in ICE Activities: Insurance companies have to now spend 0.5% of the total
premium collected on information, education and communication (IEC) activities.
3. Beed model of crop insurance

Maharashtra government has asked for state-wide implementation of the ‘Beed model’ of the
crop insurance scheme Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yogna (PMFBY).
What is the 'Beed Model'?

The issue:
● Beed is a district located in the drought-prone Marathwada region.
● The district presents a challenge for any insurance company because farmers here have
repeatedly lost crops either to failure of rains or to heavy rains.
● Given the high payouts, insurance companies have sustained losses.
The solution:
To attract the insurance companies, the state Agriculture Department decided to tweak the
PMFBY guidelines for the district.
Under the new guidelines, the insurance company provided a cover of 110% of the premium
collected, with caveats.
1. If the compensation exceeded the cover provided, the state government would pay the
bridge amount.
2. If the compensation was less than the premium collected, the insurance company would
keep 20% of the amount as handling charges and reimburse the rest to the state
government.
Effects on the state government:

● In a normal season where farmers report minimal losses, the state government is expected to
get back money that can form a corpus to fund the scheme for the following year.
NOTES
● However, the state government would have to bear the financial liability in case of losses due
to extreme weather events.
4. Rashtriya Gokul Mission

‘Rashtriya Gokul Mission’ was launched in 2014 to conserve and develop indigenous bovine
breeds, under the National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBD).
Key objectives of the mission
● Development and conservation of indigenous breeds.
● Undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds so as to improve the
genetic makeup and increase the stock.
● Enhance milk production and productivity.
● Upgrade nondescript cattle using elite indigenous breeds like Gir, Sahiwal, Rathi, Deoni,
Tharparkar, Red Sindhi.
● Distribute disease free high genetic merit bulls for natural service.
Implementation
1. It is being implemented through the “State Implementing Agency’ Livestock Development
Boards, i.e., SIA’s (LDB’s).
2. State Gauseva Ayogs are mandated to sponsor proposals to the SIA’s (LDB’s) and monitor
implementation of the sponsored proposal.
3. The “Participating Agencies” like CFSPTI, CCBFs, ICAR, Universities, Colleges, NGO’s,
Cooperative Societies and Gaushalas with best germplasm.
What are Gokul Grams?

The Rashtriya Gokul Mission envisages the establishment of integrated cattle development
centers, ‘Gokul Grams’ to develop indigenous breeds including up to 40% nondescript breeds.
Gokul Grams will be established in:
● The native breeding tracts and
● Near metropolitan cities for housing the urban cattle.
Objectives:
● Promote indigenous cattle rearing and conservation in a scientific manner.
● Propagate high genetic merit bulls of indigenous breeds.
● Optimize modern Farm Management practices and promote Common Resource
Management.
● Utilize animal waste in an economical way i.e. Cow Dung, Cow Urine.
Key features of Gokul Grams

● They will be self-sustaining and will generate economic resources from sale of A2 milk
organic manure, vermi-composting, urine distillates, and production of electricity fraom bio
gas for in house consumption and sale of animal products.
● They will also function as state of the art in situ training centre for Farmers, Breeders and
MAITRI’s.
● Gokul Grams act as Centres for development of Indigenous Breeds and a dependable source
for supply of high genetic breeding stock to the farmers in the breeding tract.
● The Gokul Gram will maintain milch and unproductive animals in the ratio of 60:40 and will
have the capacity to maintain about 1000 animals.
● Nutritional requirements of the animals will be provided in the Gokul Gram through in house
fodder production.
● Metropolitan Gokul Gram will focus on genetic upgradation of urban cattle.
NOTES
5. River Ranching Programme
Nationwide River Ranching Programme was
launched in Uttar Pradesh.
● Along with Uttar Pradesh, other 4 states namely,
Orissa, Uttarakhand, Tripura and Chhattisgarh
also participated in the launch of ‘nationwide
River Ranching program’.
● 3 lakhs fingerlings were ranched at 3 sites in UP,
namely, Brijghat, Tigri, Meerut, Garhmukteshwar
and Bijnor.
What is River Ranching?

● River Ranching is a form of aquaculture in which a population of a fish species (such as
salmon) is held in captivity for the first stage of their lives.
● They are then released, and later harvested as adults when they return from the sea to their
freshwater birthplace to spawn.
About the Programme:

River ranching programme was introduced as special activity under the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya
Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme to augment and enhance fish production and productivity by
expanding, intensifying, diversifying and utilizing land & water productively.
Who is the implementing agency?

National Fisheries Development Board, Hyderabad is the nodal agency under central component
of the PMMSY.
About the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme:

● It is a scheme for focused and sustainable development of fisheries sector in the country.
● 20,000 crores has been sanctioned for its implementation during a period of 5 years from FY
2020-21 to FY 2024-25 in all States/Union Territories, as a part of AatmaNirbhar Bharat
Package.
● The scheme focuses on beneficiary-oriented activities in Marine, Inland fisheries and
Aquaculture.
● It seeks to adopt ‘Cluster or Area based approaches’.
Aims and targets of the scheme:

1. Enhance fish production by an
additional 70 lakh tonne by 2024-
25.
2. Increase fisheries export earnings
to Rs.1,00,000 crore by 2024-25.
3. Double incomes of fishers and fish
farmers.
4. Reduce post-harvest losses from
20-25% to about 10%.
5. Generate additional 55 lakhs
direct and indirect gainful
employment opportunities in fisheries sector and allied activities.
6. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

One year after its launch, the Central government’s Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) has given
a major boost to the strengthening of Primary Agricultural Cooperative Societies (PACS) – the
lifelines of village-level credit systems.
NOTES
Latest modifications:
Recently, The Union Cabinet has approved the various modifications in the Central Sector Scheme
of Financing Facility under ‘Agriculture Infrastructure Fund’.
1. Eligibility has now been extended to State Agencies/APMCs, National & State Federations of
Cooperatives, Federations of Farmers Producers Organizations (FPOs) and Federations of Self
Help Groups (SHGs).
2. For APMCs, interest subvention for a loan upto Rs. 2 crore will be provided for each project of
different infrastructure types e.g. cold storage, sorting, grading and assaying units, silos, et
within the same market yard.
3. The power has been delegated to the Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare to make
necessary changes with regard to addition or deletion of beneficiaries.
4. The period of financial facility has been extended from 4 to 6 years upto 2025-26 and overall
period of the scheme has been extended from 10 to 13 upto 2032-33.
About the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund:

● It is a medium - long term debt financing facility for investment in viable projects for post-
harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets through interest
subvention and credit guarantee.
● Under the scheme, Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be provided by banks and financial institutions as
loans with interest subvention of 3% per annum and credit guarantee coverage under
CGTMSE for loans up to Rs. 2 Crores.
Eligible beneficiaries include:

Originally, it included Farmers, Marketing Cooperative Societies, Joint Liability Groups (JLG),
Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Start-ups, and Central/State agency or
Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects.
Interest subvention:
All loans under this financing facility will have interest subvention of 3% per annum up to a limit
of Rs. 2 crore. This subvention will be available for a maximum period of seven years.
Credit guarantee:
● Credit guarantee coverage will be available for eligible borrowers from this financing facility
under Credit Guarantee Fund Trust for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) scheme for a
loan up to Rs. 2 crore.
● The fee for this coverage will be paid by the Government.
● In case of FPOs the credit guarantee may be availed from the facility created under FPO
promotion scheme of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DACFW).
Management of the fund:

● It will be managed and monitored through an online Management Information System (MIS)
platform.
● The National, State and District level Monitoring Committees will be set up to ensure real-
time monitoring and effective feed-back.
7. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY)

● The scheme was launched in 2016 to develop human resources in organic farming, natural
farming and cow based economy for environmental sustenance and soil health.
● Implemented by the Education wing of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
Objectives:
NOTES
1. To build skilled Human Resource at village level who are relevant for development organic
farming and sustainable agriculture.
2. Provide rural India with technical support in the field of Organic Farming or Natural Farming or
Rural Economy or Sustainable Agriculture.
3. To extend other activities of this Yojana at village level through their established centres.
The designated Centers may select the farmers for this initiative, subject to the conditions that:
1. The farmers must be assessed in terms of their interest in organic farming, natural farming
and cow-based economy prior to their selection.
2. Priority must be attached to the farmers who are currently practising organic farming, natural
farming or cow-based economy.
3. Farmers of all communities must be given fair representation.
4. The selection shouldn’t involve any gender discrimination.
8. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

It is a scheme for the holistic growth and development of the Indian horticulture sector.
● This Centrally Sponsored scheme covers vegetables, fruits, roots and tuber crops, aromatic
plants, flowers, spices, bamboo, coconut, cashew and cocoa.
● MIDH also provides technical support and advice to state horticultural missions, Rashtriya
Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Saffron Mission and the National Mission for Sustainable
Agriculture (NMSA).
● MIDH is under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, GOI.
● Under MIDH, Government of India (GOI) contributes 60%, of total outlay for developmental
programmes in all the states except states in North East and Himalayas, 40% share is
contributed by State Governments. In the case of North Eastern States and Himalayan
States, GOI contributes 90% (as per click here).
Sub Schemes:
1. National Horticulture Mission (NHM).
2. Horticulture Mission for North East & Himalayan States (HMNEH).
3. National Bamboo Mission (NBM).
4. National Horticulture Board (NHB).
5. Coconut Development Board (CDB).
6. Central Institute for Horticulture (CIH).
9. Large Area Certification scheme

14,491 ha area of UT of A&N Islands has become the first large contiguous territory to be
conferred with organic certification under ‘Large Area Certification’ scheme.
About the ‘Large Area Certification’ scheme:

● Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under its flagship scheme of Paramparagat
Krishi Vikas Yojna (PKVY) has launched this unique quick certification programme to harness
these potential areas.
● Under LAC, each village in the area is considered as one cluster/group.
● All farmers with their farmland and livestock need to adhere to the standard requirements
and on being verified get certified en-mass without the need to go under conversion period.
● Certification is renewed on annual basis through annual verification by a process of peer
appraisals as per the process of PGS-India.
Benefits of LAC:
1. As per the established norm of organic production systems, the areas having chemical input
usage history are required to undergo a transition period of minimum 2-3 years to qualify as
organic.
NOTES
2. During this period, farmers need to adopt standard organic agriculture practices and keep
their farms under the certification process.
3. On successful completion, such farms can be certified as organic after 2-3 years. The
certification process also requires elaborate documentation and time to time verification by
the certification authorities.
4. Whereas under LAC requirements are simple and the area can be certified almost
immediately.
10. Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI)
• Union Cabinet approved the Central Sector Scheme – “Production Linked Incentive Scheme
for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI)” to support Indian brands of food products in the
international markets.
• The Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry has been formulated
based on the Production Linked incentive scheme of NITI Aayog under “AatmaNirbhar Bharat
Abhiyaan for Enhancing India's Manufacturing Capabilities and Enhancing Exports”.
Scheme Objectives:
• Support creation of global food manufacturing champions;
• Strengthen select Indian brand of food products for global visibility and wider acceptance in
the international markets;
• Increase employment opportunities of off-farm jobs,
• Ensuring remunerative prices of farm produce and higher income to farmers.
Salient features:
• The first component relates to incentivising manufacturing of four major food product
segments viz. Ready to Cook/ Ready to Eat (RTC/ RTE) foods including Millets based products,
Processed Fruits & Vegetables, Marine Products, Mozzarella Cheese.
• Innovative/ Organic products of SMEs including Free Range - Eggs, Poultry Meat, Egg Products
in these segments are also covered under first component.
• The second component relates to support for branding and marketing abroad to incentivise
emergence of strong Indian brands.
• Scheme will be implemented over a six year period from 2021-22 to 2026-27.
Administrative and Implementation Mechanisms:

• The Scheme would be monitored at Centre by the Empowered Group of Secretaries chaired
by the Cabinet Secretary.
• Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee (IMAC) would approve selection of applicants for
coverage under the scheme, sanction and release of funds as incentives.
11. Agricultural Markets and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index

• NITI Aayog’s Agricultural Markets and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index — AMFFRI, an index
that evaluates Indian states on the extent to which each of them undertook required agri-
reforms;
• A low AMFFRI rank implies the state is undertaking desired reforms.
• It was found that states that undertook reforms, and were thus ranked low on AMFFRI,
witnessed a relatively faster agri-GDP growth rate and states which did not undertake
required reforms, and thus were ranked high on the AMFFRI, witnessed relatively lower agri-
GDP growth rates.
• There were some exceptions: Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra. These states undertook
reforms, and thus had low AMFFRI ranks, but they witnessed a low agri-GDP growth rate. This
is likely to be attributed to the delayed effect of reforms on the agri-performance.
NOTES
12. Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with the Central Silk Board on a convergence model for the implementation of
Agroforestry in the silk sector under the ongoing Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) Scheme.
The signing of this MoU aims to incentivize the farmers to take up sericulture based Agroforestry
models.
About the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF):

● The Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare (DAC & FW) has been
implementing the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF) since 2016-17 as part of the
recommendation of the National Agroforestry Policy 2014.
● This sub-mission is under the National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
● India was the first country to have such a comprehensive policy which was launched at the
World Agroforestry Congress held in Delhi in February 2014.
● At present, the scheme is being implemented in 20 States and 2 UTs.
Aim of the mission:

SMAF aims to encourage farmers to plant multi-purpose trees together with the agriculture crops
for climate resilience and an additional source of income to the farmers, as well as enhanced
feedstock to inter alia wood-based and herbal industry.
13. National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

● E-NAM (National Agriculture Market) is an online trading platform for agriculture produce
aiming to help farmers, traders, and buyers with online trading and getting a better price by
smooth marketing.
● Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) is the lead agency for implementing eNAM
under the aegis of Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Government of India.
VISION
To promote uniformity in agriculture marketing by streamlining of procedures across the
integrated markets, removing information asymmetry between buyers and sellers and promoting
real time price discovery based on actual demand and supply.
MISSION
Integration of APMCs across the country through a common online market platform to facilitate
pan-India trade in agriculture commodities, providing better price discovery through transparent
auction process based on quality of
produce along with timely online
payment.
NAM has the following advantages:

For the farmers, NAM promises more
options for sale. It would increase his
access to markets through warehouse-
based sales and thus obviate the need
to transport his produce to the mandi.
For the local trader in the mandi /
market, NAM offers the opportunity to
access a larger national market for
secondary trading.
Bulk buyers, processors, exporters etc.
benefit from being able to participate
NOTES
directly in trading at the local mandi / market level through the NAM platform, thereby reducing
their intermediation costs.
14. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

Ministry of Agriculture funding start-ups under the innovation and agripreneurship component of
Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana in 2020-21.
Background:
A component, Innovation and Agri-entrepreneurship Development programme has been
launched under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana in order to promote innovation and agripreneurship
by providing financial support and nurturing the incubation ecosystem.
• These start-ups are in various categories such as agro-processing, artificial intelligence, digital
agriculture, farm mechanisation, waste to wealth, dairy, fisheries etc.
About Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana:

RKVY scheme was initiated in 2007 as an umbrella scheme for ensuring holistic development of
agriculture and allied sectors.
The scheme incentivizes States to increase public investment in Agriculture & allied sectors.
• The Cabinet has approved (as on 1st November 2017) for the continuation of the ongoing
Centrally Sponsored Scheme (State Plans) – Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) as Rashtriya
Krishi Vikas Yojana- Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector
Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR).
The main objective of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana is to develop farming as a main source of
economic activity. Some of the objectives also include:
1. Risk mitigation, strengthening the efforts of the farmers along with promoting agri-business
entrepreneurship through the creation of agri-infrastructure.
2. Providing all the states with autonomy and flexibility in making plans as per their local needs.
3. Helping farmers in increasing their income by encouraging productivity and promoting value
chain addition linked production models.
4. To reduce the risk of farmers by focusing on increasing the income generation through
mushroom cultivation, integrated farming, floriculture, etc.
5. Empowering the youth through various skill development, innovation and agri-business
models.
Funding:
RKVY-RAFTAAR will continue to be implemented as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme in the ratio of
60: 40 (Government of India and State Share respectively) except in the case of northeastern and
hilly states where the sharing pattern is 90:10. For UTs the grant is 100% as Central share.
15. Sugar Development Fund

• The Department of Food and Public Distribution issued guidelines for restructuring of SDF
Loans under the SDF Rules 1983.
• These guidelines are uniformly applicable for SDF loans availed by all types of concerns,
including Co-operative Societies, Private Limited Companies and Public Limited Companies.
NOTES
NOTES
Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and Minimum
Support Prices
1. Minimum support price (MSP)
MSP is the rate at which the government buys grains from farmers. Government announces
minimum support prices (MSPs) for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for
sugarcane.
How is it calculated?
The MSP is the rate at which the government purchases crops from farmers, and is based on a
calculation of at least one-and-a-half times the cost of production incurred by the farmers.
● The Union Budget for 2018-19 had announced that MSP would be kept at levels of 1.5 the
cost of production.
● The MSP is fixed twice a year on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural
Costs and Prices (CACP), which is a statutory body and submits separate reports
recommending prices for kharif and rabi seasons.
Which production costs are taken in fixing the MSPs?

The CACP considers both ‘A2+FL’ and ‘C2’ costs while recommending MSP.
1. A2 costs cover all paid-out expenses, both in cash and kind, incurred by farmers on seeds,
fertilisers, chemicals, hired labour, fuel and irrigation, among others.
2. A2+FL covers actual paid-out costs plus an imputed value of unpaid family labour.
3. The C2 costs account for the rentals and interest forgone on owned land and fixed capital
assets respectively, on top of A2+FL.
The limitations of MSP:

1. The major problem with the MSP is lack of government machinery for procurement for all
crops except wheat and rice, which the Food Corporation of India actively procures under the
PDS.
2. As state governments procure the last mile grain, the farmers of states where the grain is
procured completely by the government benefit more while those in states that procure less
are often affected.
3. The MSP-based procurement system is also dependent on middlemen, commission agents
and APMC officials, which smaller farmers find difficult to get access to.
How can MSP be made legally binding? Kerala has become the first
There are two ways it can be done. state in the country to fix
• The first is to force private buyers to pay it. In this case, no the minimum support price
crop can be purchased below the MSP, which would also act (MSP) for vegetables.
as the floor price for bidding in mandi auctions.
• The second route is, of course, the government itself buying the entire crop that farmers offer
at the MSP.
The unions want the government to enact legislation conferring mandatory status to MSP, rather
than just being an indicative or desired price.
How can that entitlement be implemented?

There are basically three ways.
• The first is by forcing private traders or processors to pay MSP. This is already applicable in
sugarcane.
NOTES
• The second is by the government undertaking procurement at MSP through its agencies such
as the Food Corporation of India (FCI), National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing
Federation of India (Nafed) and Cotton Corporation of India (CCI).
• The third route for guaranteeing MSP is via price deficiency payments.
o Under it, the government neither directly purchases nor forces the private industry to
pay MSP.
o Instead, it allows all sales by farmers to take place at the prevailing market prices.
o Farmers are simply paid the difference between the government’s MSP and the
average market price for the particular crop during the harvesting season.
2. Fair and remunerative price (FRP)

● FRP is the price declared by the government, which mills are legally bound to pay to farmers
for the cane procured from them.
● The payment of FRP across the country is governed by The Sugarcane Control order, 1966. It
mandates payment within 14 days of the date of delivery of the cane.
How is FRP decided?

The FRP is based on the recovery of sugar from the cane. For the sugar season of 2021-22, FRP
has been fixed at Rs 2,900/tonne at a base recovery of 10 per cent.
● Sugar recovery is the ratio between sugar produced versus cane crushed, expressed as a
percentage.
● The higher the recovery, the higher is the FRP, and higher is the sugar produced.
Announced by:
The Central Government announces Fair and Remunerative Prices which are determined on the
recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and announced by
the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
● CCEA is chaired by the Prime Minister of India.
The FRP is based on the Rangarajan Committee report on reorganizing the sugarcane industry.
Significance of FRP:
Assured payment is one of the major reasons why cane is a popular crop with farmers.
● Delays in payment can attract an interest up to 15 per cent per annum, and the sugar
commissioner can recover unpaid FRP as dues in revenue recovery by attaching properties of
the mills.
Sugarcane:
● Temperature: Between 21-27°C with hot and humid climate.
● Rainfall: Around 75-100 cm.
● Soil Type: Deep rich loamy soil.
● Top Sugarcane Producing States: Uttar Pradesh > Maharashtra > Karnataka > Tamil Nadu >
Bihar.
● India is the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.
NOTES
Major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country
1. Safforn Bowl Project
North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) under Saffron Bowl project
has identified few locations in Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya for saffron cultivation.
● Saffron production has long been restricted to a limited geographical area in the Union
territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
● Pampore region, in India, commonly known as Saffron bowl of Kashmir, is the main
contributor to saffron production, followed by Budgam, Srinagar, and Kishtiwar districts.
● Saffron has traditionally been associated with the famous Kashmiri cuisine.
● It’s its medicinal values were considered as part of the rich cultural heritage of Kashmir.
● As saffron growing was confined to very specific areas in Kashmir, its production remained
limited.
● Though the National Mission on Saffron focused on several measures to improve its farming,
the measures were still limited to the specified areas of Kashmir.
2. Landraces
Padma awards winner Rahibai Popere, popularly known as Seedmother, from Akole taluka of
Ahmednagar, Maharashtra.
● Her Padma Shri is a recognition of her work that has helped save hundreds of landraces (wild
varieties of commonly grown crops) at the village level.
What are landraces?

Landraces refer to naturally occurring variants of commonly cultivated crops. These are as
opposed to commercially grown crops, which are developed by selective breeding (hybrids) or
through genetic engineering to express a certain trait over others.
Impact of selection and breeding on landraces:

Biodiversity allows a natural mechanism for crops to develop traits to face challenging situations.
However, given the large-scale human interference in crop selection, that ability is now lost in
most commercial crops.
● Crop improvement through selection and breeding over several decades has narrowed the
genetic base of most crops.
3. Millet Production
• Currently, India is the fifth largest exporter of millets in the world, according to 2020 data,
with exports continuously increasing at around 3% CAGR in the last five years ending with
2020.
• Major exporter of millets are USA, Russian Federation, Ukraine, India, China, Netherlands,
France, Poland and Argentina.
• The top three importers of millets from India in 2020-21 were Nepal (USD 6.09 million), UAE
(USD 4.84 million) and Saudi Arabia (USD 3.84 million).
• Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) has been
aggressively working towards facilitating shipments of millets by Indian exporters and
helping them make inroads into new markets.
• India is the world leader in the production of millets with share of around 41% of total
world production in 2020.
• APEDA has developed its own Virtual Trade Fair (VTF) application to facilitate interaction
among exporters, producer organizations and international buyers.
o In March 2021, APEDA organized its first Virtual Trade Fair – India Rice and Agro
Commodity Show, which saw the participation of millet exporters also. A series of Virtual
NOTES
Buyer-Seller Meets (BSM) with Embassies, importers, exporters and product
associations from India have been organized.
o To give impetus to the export of potential products as well as to remove the bottlenecks
in the supply chain of nutria-cereals, APEDA has created Nutri Cereals Export Promotion
Forum which also included millets exports. It has also organized a sensitization
programme for millet start-ups to familiarize them about export opportunities.
o APEDA has signed an MOU with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) for making a
strategy for promotion of millets and millet value added products.
o It has initiated a study on ‘Refinement of Millet Value Chain for Export Markets:
Preparation of export strategy in wake of International Year of Millets, 2023’ through
IMMR.
4. GI certified mangoes
Sixteen varieties of mangoes including
three GI certified varieties were exported
to Bahrain from West Bengal & Bihar.
● These include GI certified Khirsapati &
Lakshmanbhog (West Bengal),
Zardalu (Bihar).
Jardalu or Zardalu mango is a unique

variety of mango grown in Bhagalpur and adjoining districts of Bihar. It received the GI tag in
2018.
5. GI certified Jalgaon banana

● In 2016, Jalgaon Banana got GI certification
which was registered with Nisargraja Krishi
Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Jalgaon.
● Jalgaon district is in Maharashtra.
● India is the world's leading producer of bananas
with a share of around 25% in total output.
● Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and
Madhya Pradesh contribute more than 70% of the country's banana production.
6. GI-certified Gholvad Chikoo

● GI-certified Dahanu Gholvad Chikoo from Maharashtra was
exported to UK.
● GI certification of Gholvad Sapota is held by Maharashtra
Rajya Chikoo Utpadak Sangh and the fruit is known for its
sweet and unique taste. It is believed that the unique taste is
derived from calcium-rich soil of Gholvad village.
● Chikoo is grown in many states- Karnataka, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal
and Andhra Pradesh. Karnataka is known to be the highest grower of the fruit, followed by
Maharashtra.
7. Shahi litchi
Shahi Litchi from Bihar was recently exported to United Kingdom by air
route.
● Shahi litchi was the fourth agricultural products to get GI certification
from Bihar in 2018, after Jardalu mango, Katarni rice and Magahi paan.
NOTES
● GI registration for Shahi Litchi is held with the Muzaffarpur-based Litchi Growers Association
of Bihar.
● India is the second largest producer of litchi (Litchi chin) in the world, after China.
● The translucent, flavoured aril or edible flesh of the litchi is popular as a table fruit in India,
while in China and Japan it is preferred in dried or canned form.
● Bihar tops in terms of production of litchi in the country.
8. World’s 1st GM rubber sapling

● World’s first genetically modified (GM) rubber sapling was recently planted at the Rubber
Board’s Sarutari research farm on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam.
● It was developed at the Kerala-based Rubber Research Institute of India (RRII).
● With additional copies of the gene MnSOD (manganese-containing superoxide dismutase)
inserted in it, the GM rubber is expected to tide over the severe cold conditions during winter,
which is a major factor affecting the growth of rubber saplings.
● MnSOD gene used in the GM rubber was taken from the rubber plant itself.
9. Opium Cultivation
The Union government has decided to rope in the private sector to commence production of
concentrated poppy straw from India’s opium crop to boost the yield of alkaloids.
● Alkaloids are used for medical purposes and exported to several countries.
Opium poppy (Papaver somniferous) plant is the source of opium gum which contains several
indispensable alkaloids such as morphine, codeine and thebaine. Morphine is the best analgesic
in the world. In case of extreme and excruciating pain such as that of terminally ill cancer patients,
nothing alleviates the suffering except morphine. Codeine is commonly used in manufacture of
cough syrups.
Cultivation of opium:
Only a few countries are permitted to cultivate the opium poppy crop for export and extraction of
alkaloids.
India currently only extracts alkaloids from opium gum at facilities controlled by the Revenue
Department in the Finance Ministry. This entails farmers extracting gum by manually lancing the
opium pods and selling the gum to government factories.
Background:
India’s opium crop acreage has been steadily declining over the years and using the CPS extraction
method is expected to help cut the occasional dependence on imports of products like codeine
(extracted from opium) for medicinal uses.
10. MACS 1407

● It is a high-yielding and pest-resistant variety of soybean developed by
Indian Scientists.
● It is suitable for cultivation in the states of Assam, West Bengal,
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and North-Eastern states.
● The new variety has been developed by scientists from MACS – Agharkar
Research Institute (ARI), Pune.
● The variety was developed using the conventional cross breeding
technique.
● Its thick stem, higher pod insertion (7 cm) from ground, and resistance to pod shattering
make it suitable even for mechanical harvesting.
● It is suitable for rain-fed conditions of north-east India.
NOTES
11. Primary and Secondary Sources of Edible Oil
• Primary sources (Soybean, Rapeseed & Mustard, Groundnut, Sunflower, Safflower & Niger)
and secondary sources (Oil palm, Coconut, Rice Bran, Cotton seeds & Tree Borne Oilseeds).
• The oilseed production of the country has been growing impressively. Despite this, there
exists a gap between the demand and supply of oilseeds.
• India depends on imports to meet its demand. The major sources of these imports are
Argentina and Brazil for soyabeen oil; Indonesia and Malaysia for palm oil; and Ukraine and
Argentina again for sunflower oil.
• The major challenges in oilseed production is largely rain-fed conditions (70% area), high
seed cost (Groundnut and Soybean), small holding with limited resources, low seed
replacement rate and low productivity.
National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP):

It is a new national initiative on palm oil production to help increase farm incomes.
Aims and Objectives of the scheme:

1. Achieve self-reliance in edible oil.
2. Harness domestic edible oil prices that are dictated by expensive palm oil imports.
3. To raise the domestic production of palm oil by three times to 11 lakh MT by 2025-26.
Key features of the scheme:

• The special emphasis of the scheme will be in India’s north-eastern states and the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands due to the conducive weather conditions in the regions.
• Under the scheme, oil palm farmers will be provided financial assistance and will get
remuneration under a price and viability formula.
Benefits and significance of the scheme:

It is expected to incentivise production of palm oil to reduce dependence on imports and help
farmers cash in on the huge market.
Need for such schemes:

• India is the largest consumer of vegetable oil in the world. Of this, palm oil imports are almost
60% of its total vegetable oil imports.
• In 2016- 2017, the total domestic consumption of palm oil by India was 9.3 million MT, with
98.97 percent of it imported from Malaysia and Indonesia. This means India was producing
only 1.027 per cent of its requirement.
• Also, in India, 94.1 per cent of its palm oil is used in food products, especially for cooking
purposes. This makes palm oil extremely critical to India’s edible oils economy.
Palm oil:
• Palm oil is currently the world’s most consumed vegetable oil.
• It is used extensively in the production of detergents, plastics, cosmetics, and biofuels.
• Top consumers of the commodity are India, China, and the European Union (EU).
NOTES
12. Basmati rice
• India, the world’s largest exporter of
basmati rice, has applied to the European
Union for protected geographical
indication (PGI) status of basmati rice.
Pakistan has opposed this move.
• In India, historically, the long-grained,
aromatic rice has been cultivated in Indo-
Gangetic plains at the foothills of the
Himalayas.
• In modern India, this region is spread over
Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana,
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and
Jammu and Kashmir.
• Basmati has also been grown for centuries in the Kalar tract, which lies between the Ravi and
Chenab rivers in Pakistan’s Punjab province.
• Though basmati rice is grown in many parts of India, China is the largest rice producer in
APEDA got the GI tag for seven states located in the the world followed by India.
Indo-Gangetic plains, including Himachal Pradesh,
Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, outskirts of Delhi, India is the largest exporter of rice
western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Jammu and in the world.
Kashmir.
13. Pulses
February 10 is a designated global event to recognize and emphasize the importance of pulses
and legumes as a global food.
● The UN General Assembly adopted 2016 as the International Year of Pulses (IYP).
World Pulses Day 2021 Theme: #LovePulses.
Key Points:
● India is the biggest
producer and consumer
of pulses in the world
and it has almost
achieved self-sufficiency
in pulses.
● India accounted for
23.62% of world’s total
pulses production in
2019-20.
● In the last five-six years,
India has increased pulses
production from 140 lakh
tonnes to more than 240
lakh tonnes.
● MP is leading producer of
pulses along with
Maharashtra, UP,
Rajasthan and Karnataka.
Benefits of pulses:
1. Pulses are rich in nutritional and protein values and are an important part of a healthy diet.
NOTES
2. Pulses, and legumes (lentils, peas, chickpeas, beans, soybeans, and peanuts) play an equally
important role in health maintenance and overall improvement.
3. Pulses also contribute majorly to achieving the goals of the 2030 Agenda of Sustainable
Development.
4. Pulses play a critical role in marking challenges of poverty, food chain security, degraded
health, and climate change.
5. Pulses and legume crops help in improving the feasibility of agricultural production systems.
6. Pulses contribute to environmental benefits. The nitrogen-fixing properties of pulses
improve soil fertility, which increases the productivity and fertility of the farmland.
7. Pulses are important for a healthy diet.
14. Jute
Cabinet approves Extension of Norms for Mandatory Packaging in Jute Materials.
● Now, 100% of the foodgrains and 20% of the sugar shall be mandatorily packed in
diversified jute bags.
Background:
Under the Jute Packaging Materials (Compulsory use in Packing Commodities) Act, 1987, the
Government is required to consider and provide for the compulsory use of jute packaging
material in the supply and distribution of certain commodities in the interest of production of raw
jute and jute packaging material and of persons engaged in the production thereof.
About Jute:
Known as the ‘golden fibre’, jute is one of the longest and most used natural fibre for various
textile applications.
● It thrives in tropical lowland areas with humidity of 60% to 90%. Jute is a rain-fed crop with
little need for fertilizer or pesticides.
● India is the world's largest producer of raw jute and jute goods.
● The cultivation of jute in India is mainly confined to the eastern region of the country.
● Jute fibers are composed primarily of the plant materials cellulose and lignin.
● The jute plant needs a plain alluvial soil and standing water. The suitable climate for growing
jute (warm and wet) is offered by the monsoon climate, during the monsoon season.
● The first jute mill was established at Rishra (Bengal - now in West Bengal), on the river
Hooghly near Calcutta in the year 1855, by Mr. George Aclend.
● In 1959, the first power driven weaving factory was set up.
15. Cotton
● India’s premium cotton would be known as ‘Kasturi Cotton’ in the world cotton trade.
● The Kasturi Cotton brand will represent Whiteness, Brightness, Softness, Purity, Lustre,
Uniqueness and Indianness.
● India is the largest cotton producer and the largest consumer of cotton in the world.
● India accounts for about 26% of the world cotton production.
● Cotton is the kharif crop of tropical and sub-tropical areas and requires uniformly high
temperature varying between 21°C and 30°C.
● The growth of cotton is retarded when the temperature falls below 20°C.
● Cotton requires a clear sky during the flowering stage.
● Frost is the enemy for cotton plant and it is grown in areas having at least 210 frost free days
in a year.
● Only light-rainfall (50 to 100 centimetres) is preferred. Cotton can also be cultivated under
irrigated conditions.
● A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of
the crop. Black cotton soil is prefered.
● There are three cotton-growing areas in India –
NOTES
○ Parts of Punjab, Haryana and northern Rajasthan in the north-west,
○ Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and
○ Plateaus of Telengana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the south.
● Leading producers are Gujarat, Maharashtra and Telangana.
16. Asafoetida
Scientists at CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource, Palampur (IHBT), are on a mission to grow
heeng in the Indian Himalayas. The first sapling has been planted in Himachal Pradesh’s Kwaring
village in Lahaul valley.
● Asafoetida, or heeng, is a common ingredient in most Indian

kitchens.
● Heeng is not cultivated in India.
● India imports Rs 600 crore worth of this pungent flavoured
herb every year.
● It is a perennial plant. The plant stores most of its nutrients
inside its deep fleshy roots.
● Asafoetida is endemic to Iran and Afghanistan, the main global suppliers.
● It thrives in dry and cold desert conditions.
17. Organic farming in India

1. India ranks first in number of organic farmers and ninth in terms of area under organic
farming.
2. Sikkim became the first State in the world to become fully organic and other States including
Tripura and Uttarakhand have set similar targets.
3. Lakshadweep is second after Sikkim to achieve the status of 100% organic region. It is first in
the Union Territories of India to achieve the status.
4. North East India has traditionally been organic and the consumption of chemicals is far less
than rest of the country.
5. Similarly, the tribal and island territories are being nurtured to continue their organic story.
6. The major organic exports from India have been flax seeds, sesame, soybean, tea, medicinal
plants, rice and pulses.
Government initiatives to support organic farming:

Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCDNER) and
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) launched in 2015 to encourage chemical free farming.
Organic Farming has also been supported under other Schemes viz Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana
(RKVY) and Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), Network Project on
Organic Farming under ICAR. Third party certification of organic farming is promoted by
Agriculture Processed Food and Export Development Authority (APEDA), Ministry of Commerce.
About MOVCDNER:
• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has launched this Central Sector Scheme named
“Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region” (MOVCDNER) for
implementation in the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram,
Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
• The scheme aims at development of certified organic production in a value chain mode to link
growers with consumers and to support the development of entire value chain starting from
inputs, seeds, certification and creation of facilities for collection, aggregation, processing,
marketing and brand building initiative.
• The assistance is provided for cluster development, on/off farm input production, supply of
seeds/planting materials, setting up of functional infrastructure, establishment of integrated
NOTES
processing unit, refrigerated transportation, pre-cooling/ cold stores chamber, branding, labelling
and packaging, hiring of space, hand holdings, organic certification through third party,
mobilization of farmers/processors etc.
Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY):

• Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana is an elaborated component of Soil Health Management
(SHM) of major project National Mission of Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA).
Implementation:
• Under PKVY Organic farming is promoted through the adoption of the organic village by cluster
approach and PGS certification.
• Fifty or more farmers will form a cluster having 50-acre land to take up the organic farming
under the scheme.
• The produce will be pesticide residue free and will contribute to improving the health of the
consumer.
What is organic farming?

• It is an agricultural process that uses biological fertilizers and pest control acquired from
animal or plant waste.
• It is a unique production management system which promotes and enhances agro-ecosystem
health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.
NOTES
Recent Developments / Technologies
1. Fortified Rice
The Centre has distributed 3.38 lakh metric tonnes of fortified rice till December 2021 through
anganwadis and mid-day meals at government schools, according to the Economic Survey.
Centre government, for the first time issued uniform specifications for Fortified Rice Kernels
(FRK) for grade A & Common Rice. The specifications have been issued by the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
Background:
The fortified rice is to be distributed under various government schemes, including the public
distribution system (PDS) and midday meals in schools, by 2024.
What is food fortification?

Food fortification is defined as the practice of adding vitamins and minerals to commonly
consumed foods during processing to increase their nutritional value.
● It is a proven, safe and cost-effective strategy for improving diets and for the prevention and
control of micronutrient deficiencies.
● The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), defines fortification as
“deliberately increasing the content of essential micronutrients in a food so as to improve the
nutritional quality of food and to provide public health benefit with minimal risk to health”.
Fortified rice:
According to the Food Ministry, fortification of rice is a cost-effective and complementary strategy
to increase vitamin and mineral content in diets.
● According to FSSAI norms, 1 kg fortified rice will contain iron (28 mg-42.5 mg), folic acid (75-
125 microgram) and Vitamin B-12 (0.75-1.25 microgram).
● In addition, rice may also be fortified with micronutrients, singly or in combination, with zinc
(10 mg-15 mg), Vitamin A (500-750 microgram RE), Vitamin B1 (1 mg-1.5 mg), Vitamin B2
(1.25 mg-1.75 mg), Vitamin B3 (12.5 mg-20 mg) and Vitamin B6 (1.5 mg-2.5 mg) per kg.
What are the benefits of Fortification?

Since the nutrients are added to staple foods that are widely consumed, this is an excellent
method to improve the health of a large section of the population, all at once.
● Fortification is a safe method of improving nutrition among people. The addition of
micronutrients to food does not pose a health risk to people.
● It does not require any changes in food habits and patterns of people. It is a socio-culturally
acceptable way to deliver nutrients to people.
● It does not alter the characteristics of the food—the taste, the feel, the look.
● It can be implemented quickly as well as show results in improvement of health in a relatively
short period of time.
● This method is cost-effective especially if advantage is taken of the existing technology and
delivery platforms.
2. Anti-Methanogenic Feed Supplement: Harit Dhara

Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an anti-Methanogenic feed
supplement ‘Harit Dhara’ (HD).
Significance of this supplement:

● This supplement can cut down cattle methane emissions by 17-20% and can also result in
higher milk production.
NOTES
What is Harit Dhara?
It has been made from tannin-rich plant-based sources. Tropical plants containing tannins, bitter
and astringent chemical compounds, are known to suppress or remove protozoa from the
rumen.
Benefits:
1. It decreases the population of protozoa microbes in the rumen, responsible for hydrogen
production and making it available to the archaea (structure similar to bacteria) for reduction
of CO2 to methane.
2. Fermentation after using this supplement will help produce more propionic acid, which
provides more energy for lactose (milk sugar) production and body weight gain.
3. Reduces methane production: An average lactating cow or buffalo in India emits around 200
litres of methane per day, while it is 85-95 litres for young growing heifers and 20-25 litres for
adult sheep. Feeding Harit Dhara can reduce these by a fifth.
How and why is methane produced in cattle?

Methane is produced by animals having rumen.
1. Rumen is the first of the four stomachs where the cattle eat plant material, cellulose, fibre,
starch and sugars. These get fermented or broken down by microorganisms prior to further
digestion and nutrient absorption.
2. Carbohydrate fermentation leads to production of CO2 and hydrogen. These are used by
microbes (Archaea) present in the rumen to produce methane.
Methane’s global warming potential 25 times of carbon dioxide (CO2) over 100 years, makes it a
more potent greenhouse gas.
3. Precision agriculture
• Precision agriculture is basically the ‘right-input’ at the ‘right-time’ in the ‘right-amount’ at
the ‘right-place’ and in the ‘right-manner’ for improving productivity, conserving natural
resources and avoiding any ecological or social tribulations.
• Today, precision agriculture is harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI). IoT, satellite
imagery, drones, Web-GIS frameworks, Big Data, cloud and machine learning are expected to
improve global agricultural productivity in the near future.
• But to arrive at these desired results, huge amounts of data collation is required.
Environmental data, through technological intervention, has already fuelled better farming
techniques in developed countries.
• Sensors and analysis tools can boost crop yield. In order to do this, environmental data is
collected in the geospatial format to measure quantifiable variables like weather, soil
moisture, volumetric soil temperature, fertiliser rates, water run-off, agrochemicals
movement and rain.
4. Nano urea liquid

• Nano urea liquid is a patented technology of Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (IFFCO)
developed at its Nano Biotechnology Research Center, Gujarat.
• IFFCO has priced nano urea liquid at ₹240 per bottle, which is 10 per cent cheaper than the
cost of a bag of conventional urea.
• Nano urea liquid is environmental friendly, smart fertilizer with high nutrient use efficiency
and a sustainable solution for curtailing pollution and reduction in global warming in the long
run as it reduces the emissions of nitrous oxide into soil, air and water bodies.
• The size of one nano urea particle is 30 nanometre and when compare to the conventional
urea it has about 10,000 times more surface area to volume size when compare to granular
urea.
NOTES
• Due to the ultra-small size and surface properties of nano urea, it gets absorbed by the plants
when sprayed on their leaves. Upon penetration, these
nanoparticles reach plant parts where nitrogen is It may be noted that urea forms 82
required and release nutrients in a controlled manner. per cent of the total nitrogenous
fertilisers consumed in India and it
• IFFCO said nano urea requirement will be lower than
has recorded exponential increase
conventional urea fertiliser to fulfil plant's nitrogen
in consumption over the years.
requirement.
• The efficacy trials demonstrated that nano urea
Around 30-50 per cent of nitrogen
increases crop productivity and can reduce the
from urea is utilised by plants and
requirement of conventional Urea by 50 per cent.
the rest gets wasted due to quick
• Further, application of nano urea (liquid) improves
chemical transformation as a result
yield, biomass, soil health and nutritional quality of
of leaching, volatilization and run
the produce.
off, thereby low use efficiency.
• Nano Urea liquid is completely safe for human,
animals, birds, rhizosphere organisms and
environment at the recommended levels of application.
5. Bao-dhaan
● Iron-rich 'red rice' is grown in the Brahmaputra Valley of
Assam without the use of any chemical fertilizer.
● This variety of rice is referred to as 'Bao-dhaan', which is an
integral part of the Assamese food culture.
6. Aquaponics:
● Aquaponics is an emerging technique in which both
fishes as well as the plants are grown in an
integrated manner.
● The fish waste provides fertilizer for growing plants.
The plants abs orb nutrients and filter the water. This
filtered water is used to replenish the fish tank. This is
an environment friendly technique.
7. Direct seeding of rice

What is Direct Seeding of Rice (DSR)?
Here, the pre-germinated seeds are directly drilled into the field by a tractor-powered machine.
There is no nursery preparation or transplantation involved in this method. Farmers have to
only level their land and give one pre-sowing irrigation.
How is it different from conventional method?

• In transplanting paddy, farmers prepare nurseries where the paddy seeds are first sown and
raised into young plants.
• The nursery seed bed is 5-10% of the area to be transplanted. These seedlings are then
uprooted and replanted 25-35 days later in the puddled field.
Advantage of DSR:
• Water savings. The first irrigation (apart from the pre-sowing rauni) under DSR is necessary
only 21 days after sowing. This is unlike in transplanted paddy, where watering has to be done
practically daily to ensure submerged/flooded conditions in the first three weeks.
• Less Labour. About three labourers are required to transplant one acre of paddy at almost Rs
2,400 per acre.
• The cost of herbicides under DSR will not exceed Rs 2,000 per acre.
NOTES
• Reduce methane emissions due to a shorter flooding period and decreased soil disturbance
compared to transplanting rice seedlings.
Limitations:
• Non-availability of herbicides.
• The seed requirement for DSR is also high, 8-10 kg/acre, compared to 4-5 kg/acre in
transplanting.
• Further, laser land levelling is compulsory in DSR. This is not so in transplanting.
• The sowing needs to be done timely so that the plants have come out properly before the
monsoon rains arrive.
8. GM Seeds
Genetic engineering aims to transcend the genus barrier by introducing an alien gene in the
seeds to get the desired effects. The alien gene could be from a plant, an animal or even a soil
bacterium.
For example:
1. Bt cotton, the only GM crop that is allowed in India, has two alien genes from the soil
bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that allows the crop to develop a protein toxic to the
common pest pink bollworm.
2. Ht Bt cotton is derived with the insertion of an additional gene, from another soil
bacterium, which allows the plant to resist the common herbicide glyphosate.
3. In Bt brinjal, a gene allows the plant to resist attacks of fruit and shoot borer.
4. In DMH-11 mustard, genetic modification allows cross-pollination in a crop that self-
pollinates in nature.
What is the legal position of genetically modified crops in India?

In India, the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) is the apex body that allows for
commercial release of GM crops.
Penalty: Use of the unapproved GM variant can attract a jail term of 5 years and fine of Rs 1 lakh
under the Environmental Protection Act ,1986.
Why are farmers rooting for GM crops?

Reduced costs: Cost of weeding goes down considerably if farmers grow Ht Bt cotton and use
glyphosate against weeds. In case of Bt brinjal, the cost reduces as the cost of production is
reduced by cutting down on the use of pesticides.
Concerns:
Environmentalists argue that the long-lasting effect of GM crops is yet to be studied and thus they
should not be released commercially. Genetic modification, they say, brings about changes that
can be harmful to humans in the long run.
9. Intercropping
It is the cultivation of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field.
The main goal is to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land by making use of resources of
ecological processes that would otherwise not be utilised by a single crop.
There are different approaches to intercropping such as:

1. Mixed intercropping – two or more crops are planted in a mix without a distinct row
arrangement.
2. Row intercropping – two or more crops are planted in distinct rows.
NOTES
3. Relay intercropping – two or more crops are grown at the same time as part of the life cycle
of each i.e. a second crop is sown after the first crop has been well established but before it
reaches its harvesting stage.
4. Strip intercropping – growing two or more crops at the same time in separate strips wide
enough apart for independent cultivation.
Advantages of intercropping:
• More efficient use of light, water and other nutrient resources compared to single crops.
• It allows for effective management of cover crops because crop mixtures have lower pest
densities.
• Potential increased crop yields per unit area.
• Improved soil fertility by leguminous intercrops e.g. nitrogen fixing.
• Reduced soil erosion.
• Lowered soil surface evaporation.
Some cons of intercropping:

• Intercropping is not always suited to a mechanised farming system.
• Time consuming: It requires more attention and thus increased intensive, expert
management.
• There is reduced efficiency in planting, weeding and harvesting which may add to the labour
costs of these operations.
• The biggest challenge to adopting intercropping systems is the advance planning of planting,
cultivation, fertilisation, spraying and harvesting of more than one crop in the same field.
10. Micro Irrigation

• The government has set the target of covering 100 lakh ha in five years under micro-irrigation.
• Department of Agriculture, Cooperation & Farmers Welfare (DAC &FW) is implementing Per
Drop More Crop component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayi Yojana (PMKSY-PDMC) since
2015-16 for enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture sector and more importantly the
overall benefits towards increasing returns to farmers.
• Government has created a dedicated Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) of INR 5000 crores with
National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) with the objective to
facilitate States in mobilizing resources for expanding coverage of Micro Irrigation.
• Micro irrigation not only increases water use efficiency but also the productivity of the crops.
• Micro irrigation is a modern method of irrigation; by this method water is irrigated through
drippers, sprinklers, foggers and by other emitters on surface or subsurface of the land.
• In this system water is applied drop by drop nearer the root zone area of the crop.
• By applying water directly to the root zone, the practice reduces loss of water through
conveyance, run-off, deep percolation and evaporation.
• Another resource saving practice possible through micro-irrigation is fertigation, which
comprises combining water and fertiliser application through irrigation.
• Fertigation results in balanced nutrient application, reduced fertiliser requirement of around
7 to 42 per cent (thus, saving expenditure cost incurred by farmer), higher nutrient uptake
and nutrient use efficiency.
• Another advantage is maintenance of optimum soil moisture conditions that help increase
overall productivity and profitability. Across various studies, it has been found that the
adoption of micro-irrigation systems helped boost the yield of fruit as well as vegetable crops.
Advantages of drip irrigation system

• Water saving and higher yield
• High quality and increased fruit size
NOTES
• Suitable for all types of soil
• Easy method of fertigation and chemigation
• Saving in labour and field preparation cost
Disadvantage of drip irrigation system

• High initial investment
• Clogging of emitters
• Possible damage of system components due to animals, etc.,
11. Fertigation
• Fertigation is a method of fertilizer application in which fertilizer is incorporated within the
irrigation water by the drip system.
• In this system fertilizer solution is distributed evenly in irrigation.
• The availability of nutrients is very high therefore the efficiency is more.
• In this method liquid fertilizer as well as water soluble fertilizers are used. By this method,
fertilizer use efficiency is increased from 80 to 90 per cent.
Advantages of fertigation
• Nutrients and water are supplied near the active root zone through fertigation which results
in greater absorption by the crops.
• As water and fertilizer are supplied evenly to all the crops through fertigation there is
possibility for getting 25-50 per cent higher yield.
• By this way, along with less amount of water and saving of fertilizer, time, labour and energy
use is also reduced substantially.
Urea, potash and highly water-soluble fertilizers are available for applying through fertigation.
NOTES
Departments / Organisations
1. National Dairy Development Board
• The National Dairy Development Board is an institution of national importance set up by an
Act of Parliament of India.
• The Board was created to finance, support and support producer-owned and controlled
organisations.
• Its programmes and activities seek to strengthen farmer cooperatives and support national
policies that are favourable to the growth of such institutions.
• Cooperative principles and cooperative strategies are fundamental to the board's efforts.
• The National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) now organises farmer’s orientation
programmes across the country, under which women farmers are trained in scientific best
practices on animal health, fodder quality, clean milk production, and accounts
management.
2. Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC)

• An Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) is a marketing board established by state
governments in India to ensure farmers are safeguarded from exploitation by large retailers,
as well as ensuring the farm to retail price spread does not reach excessively high levels.
• APMCs are regulated by states through their adoption of Agriculture Produce Marketing
Regulation (APMR) Act.
APMCs operate on two principles:

• Ensure that farmers are not exploited by intermediaries (or money lenders) who compel
farmers to sell their produce at the farm gate for an extremely low price.
• All food produce should first be brought to a market yard and then sold through auction.
Overview:
• Each state that operates APMC markets (mandis) establish their markets in different places
within their borders, geographically dividing the state.
• Farmers are required to sell their produce via auction at the mandi in their region.
• Traders require a license to operate within a mandi.
• Wholesale and retail traders (e.g. shopping mall owners) and food processing companies
cannot buy produce directly from a farmer.
Some of the salient features of the APMC Model Act 2003 include:
• Facilitating contract farming model.
• Special market for perishables
• Allowing farmers and private persons to set up their own market.
• Relaxation of licensing norms.
• Single market fee
• APMC revenue to be used for improving market infrastructure.
However, not all states have passed the bill. Some states have passed but neither framed rules
nor notified it. Thus, inter-state barriers continue.
3. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India

Ltd (NAFED)
• National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) is an apex
organization of marketing cooperatives for agricultural produce in India.
• It is registered under Multi State Co-operative Societies Act.
NOTES
• NAFED is now one of the largest procurements as well as marketing agencies for agricultural
products in India.
• NAFED is the nodal agency to implement price stabilization measures under "Operation
Greens" which aims to double the farmers' income by 2022.
• NAFED along with FCI with proactive role of state governments also physically procures
oilseeds, pulses and copra under the Price Support Scheme (PSS).
• Over the years, there have been demands from various quarters, including NAFED and the
India Pulses and Grains Association, that the government include pulses in its PDS.
• NAFED currently procures five major pulses — gram (chana), green gram (moong), black
gram (urad), lentils (masoor), pigeon pea (tur or arhar) on behalf of the Union government
from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP).
NOTES
Miscellaneous
1. World Food Programme
India signed an agreement with the United Nation’s World Food Programme (WFP) for the
distribution of 50,000 MT of wheat that it has committed to sending Afghanistan as part of a
humanitarian assistance.
What is UN WFP?
The World Food Programme (WFP) is the food assistance branch of the United Nations and the
world’s largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger and promoting food security.
Born in 1961, the WFP strives to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, with the ultimate goal in
mind of eliminating the need for food aid itself.
It is a member of the United Nations Development Group and part of its Executive Committee.
● WFP food aid is also directed to fight micronutrient deficiencies, reduce child mortality,
improve maternal health, and combat disease, including HIV and AIDS.
What is “World Hunger Map”?

Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba is working with WFP to develop digital “World
Hunger Map”.
● The map will help to monitor global hunger and operations to end scourge by 2030 which is
one of UN’s key Sustainable Development goals.
● It also aims to boost efficiency of interventions and shorten emergency response times.
2. World Food Day

World Food Day is being celebrated every year on October 16 to commemorate the date of the
founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in 1945.
The theme for World Food Day this year is “Our actions are our future- Better production, better
nutrition, a better environment and a better life."
Background:
World Food Day was established in
November 1979, as suggested by
former Hungarian minister of
agriculture and food Dr Pal Romany. It
gradually became a way to raise
awareness about hunger, malnutrition,
sustainability and food production.
About FAO:
• It is a specialized agency of the
United Nations that leads
international efforts to defeat
hunger.
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy.
• Founded: 16 October 1945.
• Goal of FAO: Their goal is to achieve
food security for all and make sure
that people have regular access to
enough high-quality food to lead
active, healthy lives.
NOTES
Important reports and Programmes (Have a brief overview):
1. Global Report on Food Crises.
2. Every two years, FAO publishes the State of the World's Forests.
3. FAO and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in 1961
to develop food standards, guidelines and texts.
4. In 1996, FAO organized the World Food Summit. The Summit concluded with the signing of
the Rome Declaration, which established the goal of halving the number of people who suffer
from hunger by the year 2015.
5. In 1997, FAO launched TeleFood, a campaign of concerts, sporting events and other activities
to harness the power of media, celebrities and concerned citizens to help fight hunger.
6. The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the
programme is to attract public and media attention to the unacceptable situation that some 1
billion people continue to suffer from chronic hunger and malnutrition in a time of
unprecedented plenty.
7. In 2004 the Right to Food Guidelines were adopted, offering guidance to states on how to
implement their obligations on the right to food.
8. FAO created the International Plant Protection Convention or IPPC in 1952.
9. FAO is depositary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and
Agriculture, also called Plant Treaty, Seed Treaty or ITPGRFA, entered into force on 29 June
2004.
10. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Partnership Initiative was
conceptualized in 2002 during World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg,
South Africa.
3. UN Food Systems Summit

The UN Food Systems Summit took place in New York.
About the Summit:

● The Food Systems Summit is convened as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
● The Summit will launch bold new actions to deliver progress on all 17 SDGs, each of which
relies to some degree on healthier, more sustainable and equitable food systems.
● Guided by five Action Tracks, the Summit will bring together key players from the worlds of
science, business, policy, healthcare and academia, as well as farmers.
4. World Bee Day

● May 20 is observed as World Bee Day annually.
● It was on this day in 1734 that Anton Janša, the pioneer of beekeeping, was born.
● The United Nations proclaimed May 20 as World Bee Day in 2017. The proposal was put forth
by Slovenia.
● 2021 theme: “Bee Engaged – Build Back Better for Bees”.
Efforts by the government:

● Government is promoting Beekeeping as part of its aim to double farmers’ income.
● The Government has allocated 500 crores towards Beekeeping under the Atma Nirbhar
Abhiyan.
● The National Bee Board has created four modules to impart training as part of the National
Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) and 30 lakh farmers have been trained in
beekeeping. They are also being financially supported by the Government.
● The Government has launched ‘Honey Mission’ as part of ‘Sweet Revolution’.
● India is among the world’s top five honey producers.
● Compared to 2005-06 honey production has risen by 242% and exports shot by 265%.
NOTES
Madhu Kranti portal:
● Madhu Kranti portal is an initiative of the National Bee Board (NBB), Ministry of Agriculture
and Farmers’ Welfare under the National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM).
● This portal is being developed for online registration to achieve traceability source of honey
and other beehive products on a digital platform.
Significance of Beekeeping:
● As per Food and Agricultural Organization database, in 2017-18, India ranked eighth in the
world in terms of honey production (64.9 thousand tonnes) while China stood first with a
production level of 551 thousand tonnes.
● Further, beekeeping can be an important contributor in achieving the 2022 target of doubling
farmer incomes.
5. Practices can reduce emissions from agriculture

• There are a number of practices that can reduce emissions from agriculture. One is alternate
wetting and drying of paddy. “By reducing the frequency of irrigation (letting the fields drain
periodically), methane emissions from flooded rice production can be cut in half.
• Another method that can work is increasing the productivity of milk and meat
production. “Increasing animal and herd productivity means that fewer animals are required
to produce the same amount of milk or meat, which also reduces the emissions generated in
producing that food.”
• Many of the practices used in organic agriculture are climate smart. Organic agriculture
enhances natural nutrient cycling and builds soil organic matter, which can also support
resilience to climate change and sequester carbon in soils.
Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) is a water-saving technology that farmers can apply
to reduce their irrigation water consumption in rice fields without decreasing its yield.
In AWD, irrigation water is applied a few days after the disappearance of the ponded water.
Hence, the field gets alternately flooded and non-flooded. The number of days of non-flooded
soil between irrigations can vary from 1 to more than 10 days depending on the number of
factors such as soil type, weather, and crop growth stage.

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Major crops, cropping patterns in various parts of the country .................................... 15

Recent Developments / Technologies ......................................................................... 23

Departments / Organisations ...................................................................................... 29

Benefits of the scheme:

2. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

Meri Policy Mere Hath to be launched:

About Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana:

PMFBY to PMFBY 2.0 (overhauled PMFBY):

3. Beed model of crop insurance

What is the 'Beed Model'?

Effects on the state government:

4. Rashtriya Gokul Mission

What are Gokul Grams?

Key features of Gokul Grams

What is River Ranching?

About the Programme:

Who is the implementing agency?

About the ‘Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme:

Aims and targets of the scheme:

6. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund

About the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund:

Eligible beneficiaries include:

Management of the fund:

7. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Unnat Krishi Shiksha Yojana (PDDUUKSY)

8. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)

9. Large Area Certification scheme

About the ‘Large Area Certification’ scheme:

Administrative and Implementation Mechanisms:

11. Agricultural Markets and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index

About the Sub-Mission on Agroforestry (SMAF):

Aim of the mission:

13. National Agriculture Market (e-NAM)

NAM has the following advantages:

14. Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana

About Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana:

15. Sugar Development Fund

Which production costs are taken in fixing the MSPs?

The limitations of MSP:

How can that entitlement be implemented?

2. Fair and remunerative price (FRP)

How is FRP decided?

What are landraces?

Impact of selection and breeding on landraces:

Jardalu or Zardalu mango is a unique

5. GI certified Jalgaon banana

6. GI-certified Gholvad Chikoo

8. World’s 1st GM rubber sapling

10. MACS 1407

National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP):

Aims and Objectives of the scheme:

Key features of the scheme:

Benefits and significance of the scheme:

Need for such schemes:

● Asafoetida, or heeng, is a common ingredient in most Indian

17. Organic farming in India

Government initiatives to support organic farming:

Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY):

What is organic farming?