Manu's Agri Test

06 September 2015

12:47

QUESTION PAPER SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

There are 30 questions printed in english.
Maximum time allowed is 3 hours.
Attempt any 25 questions.
Rest questions must also be attempted as a practice exercise.
Answer all the questions in NOT MORE than 200 words each.
Content of the answer is more important than its length.
All questions carry 10 marks.
"
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
"
- Dylan Thomas, 1947

1. Recently Indian government has put in place a new pricing scheme (NPS) for urea manufacturing units. Discuss why there is
special pricing scheme for Urea manufacturing and how different will be new scheme compared to previous ones. Also comment
what it means to end consumer.
2. What is the role of forward and backward integration in ensuring success of Supply Chain Management in the Indian FoodProcessing industry?
3. Recognizing the need to spread the benefits of agricultural mechanization among all strata of farmers, Department of
Agriculture & Cooperation is recently integrating the components of agricultural mechanization under various schemes .
Examine the challenges that the department is likely to face in its efforts.
4. With the disheartening condition of farmers in India, "farmer security" is the biggest hurdle the food security needs to
overcome. Discuss.
5. Recently the government is proposing shifting from National Agricultural Insurance Scheme to Farm Income Insurance Scheme.
What were the limitations in the earlier scheme which necessitated this transition? What would be the challenges in the
implimentation of new scheme and how could they be overcome? Also discuss the benefits of new scheme.
6. What are the methods of irrigation used in India? Give their advantages and drawbacks.
7. (a) The sustainability of PDS is a matter of concern. Comment.
(b) The quality of TPDS is not equally bleak across the country. Comment.
8. An increase in indebtedness in agriculture between 2003 and 2013 does not necessarily mean a growth in debt that has
debilitated the cultivator. Higher indebtedness may also reflect a more enabling processthe increased availability of
institutional credit. In the light of the statement, analyse the finding of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) report Situation
Assessment of Agricultural Households (AHHs).
9. What is precision farming? What are its benefits and limitations? Examine whether it can be used in India for agricultural
development.
10. Write a note on Technology Mission On Oilseeds, Pulses and Maize. Explain why India needs to increase the production of
pulses.
11. "Compared to animal husbandry's contribution to the Indian economy, the sector has received much less resources and
institutional support." Analyse the above statement in the light of challenges faced by livestock sector in India.
12. One of the principal aims of improving agricultural marketing is to make agriculture more viable for the small farmers in India.
In the above context, comment on the strengths and weaknesses of cooperative and contract farming in India.
13. India has seen significant progress towards increasing production, yield levels and crop diversification in last three decades.
Still, the agricultural productivity in India is among the lowest in the world. In this context, anlayse the reasons for low
productivity and suggest some measures to improve the same.
14. Recently the recommendations of the High Level Committee (HLC) to restructure, reorient and reform the Food Corporation of
India (FCI) was made public. Critically comment on its recommendations.
15. Write short notes on drought-prone area programme and agro-climatic planning. How do these programmes help in the
development of dryland agriculture in India?
16. Critically examine the causes of vegflation in India. Also examine what steps government should take to check vegflation.
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16. Critically examine the causes of vegflation in India. Also examine what steps government should take to check vegflation.
17. Enacting a comprehensive law that covers all aspects of GM crops should be a priority. Examine the existing policy on GM crops
and explain what needs to be done to make existing laws comprehensive.
18. There is an urgent need to put into effect an expenditure switch from subsidies to investment in order to lift Indian agriculture
from its current stagnation. Discuss.
19. In recent years, farmers in India are switching to other crops such as oilseeds, soyabean etc from cash crops. Discuss the reasons
for such a shift.
20. Recently the union cabinet gave its nod to set up the National Agriculture Market. Critically discuss the need for such a market
and its impact on APMCs and farmers.
21. As mandated, the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) recommends MSPs at national level for twenty three
crops, but effectively price support operates primarily in wheat and rice and that too in selected states. Examine the
consequences and effectiveness of measures taken by the government to address this issue. What more can be done to bring
parity in cropping pattern of all the crops.
22. India's poultry sector has transformed from a backyard activity into a technology intensive vibrant industry. Analyze the
reasons for this trend.
23. In the past several years, Indian agriculture has become the victim of unpredictable weather and climate events. To protect
crops against such events, what technological measures should be taken? Examine the efforts made by the government in this
regard.
24. How can mobile phone empower Indian farmers? With examples, examine the different ways by which mobile phone and its
applications have been used to aid and empower farmers.
25. Though india needs a blue revolution and modern technology in fishing, it should not come at the cost of livelihood of the
traditional fishermen. In this context critically comment on the issues related to implementation of government's new deep-sea
fishing policy based on the recommendations of the Meenakumari committee.
26. Despite favorable agro-climatic factors and labour availability, Indias share in world tea and coffee exports has declined
considerably over the years. Examine the issues responsible for this and suggest remedies.
27. It is said that higher Terms of Trade (ToT) along with increases in productivity are important for raising incomes of farmers and
the agricultural sector. What do you understand by the concept of Terms of Trade? How is it useful for farmers? Also examine
the trends of ToT since 2000.
28. Critically comment on the objectives of government's Mega Food Park scheme and the progress made so far in establishing
them.
29. "Despite continuous efforts and initiatives of the government to provide the required stimulus to the food processing sector,
processing activity is still at a nascent stage in India with low penetration". In the above context, examine the challenges ailing
the food processing sector in India.
30. India should move away from end-point control to risk-based inspection of all food products from farm-to-plate to ensure safety
of every item, including raw ones consumed by people. Elaborate.

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