Agriculture MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Q1. With reference to air freight of farm produce under Krishi UDAN, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Air freight is best suited to low-value bulk commodities such as foodgrains, because large volumes spread its cost.
2. Faster movement of perishables to distant markets can reduce post-harvest losses for farmers in remote regions.
3. The benefits of Krishi UDAN are confined to farm produce from the North-Eastern States.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 2 only
• D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. In a drought year, Telangana wants jowar growers to be able to sell their crop at the Minimum Support Price. Under the existing procurement framework, which one of the following is the appropriate route for this crop?

• A. Payment of the MSP–modal price gap under the deficiency payment scheme, within a ceiling linked to MSP
• B. Physical procurement by central nodal agencies under the Price Support Scheme, within a ceiling on production
• C. Purchase by private stockists under the pilot scheme run in selected districts or APMCs of the State
• D. Procurement at MSP by State agencies, with the Central Government reimbursing the costs incurred

Q3. Which one of the following correctly describes how Minimum Support Prices are determined for the mandated agricultural crops in India?

• A. The Union Government fixes them on the basis of CACP recommendations, after considering views of States and Central Ministries.
• B. Each State Government fixes them on the basis of CACP cost estimates, subject to approval of the Union Cabinet.
• C. The CACP fixes them on its own authority, and its notified prices bind both the Union Government and the States.
• D. The Union Government fixes them on the basis of FCI recommendations, after considering procurement capacity in each State.

Q4. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Under the Price Support Scheme, a substantial part of a season's output of a notified pulse or oilseed can remain outside procurement at MSP.
2. Under the Price Support Scheme, physical procurement is carried out by Central Nodal Agencies, with a proactive role for State governments.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q5. Consider the following facts: Telangana has sought 100% procurement of maize and jowar at MSP by lifting the 25% cap under MSP-PSS operations. Under PM-AASHA, the Price Support Scheme covers physical procurement of pulses, oilseeds and copra. For 2024-25, the Centre decided to procure tur, urad and masur up to 100% of production. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

1. Because tur, urad and masur were procured up to 100% of production, MSP for these pulses became a legally enforceable entitlement of every grower.
2. Removing the PSS ceiling would not by itself bring maize and jowar growers within MSP procurement under PSS.
3. The Centre has previously relaxed the PSS ceiling for particular crops.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 3 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q6. With reference to the regulation of sugarcane pricing and procurement in India, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Rangarajan Committee on the sugar sector recommended that States should not declare a State Advised Price for sugarcane.
2. A State Advised Price is recommended by the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices and approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs for States that request it.
3. A sugar mill to which a cane reservation area is assigned is obliged to purchase cane offered by farmers within that area.

• A. 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q7. Consider the following assertion: 'Fixing the price of sugarcane administratively while leaving the price of sugar largely to the market can lead to the accumulation of cane price arrears.' Which of the statements given above support/supports the assertion?

1. Sugar mills' capacity to pay for cane depends largely on what they realise from the sale of sugar.
2. The FRP is payable by mills for the cane they buy, irrespective of the price at which they are able to sell sugar.
3. The ex-mill Minimum Selling Price of sugar is revised by the Centre at the start of every sugar season along with the FRP.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. With reference to the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane and the ex-mill Minimum Selling Price (MSP) of sugar, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Minimum Selling Price of sugar obliges the government to purchase any sugar that mills are unable to sell above that price.
2. The FRP is a floor on the price of a farm product payable to growers, whereas the Minimum Selling Price is a floor on the price of a processed product realised by mills.
3. Unlike the Minimum Support Price announced for crops such as wheat, the FRP of sugarcane is paid by the mills that buy the cane rather than through government procurement.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 3 only
• C. 1, 2 and 3
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q9. With reference to the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The FRP is determined on the recommendation of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices after consultation with State Governments and other stakeholders.
2. The FRP is payable by sugar mills for the cane they purchase, and not by any government procurement agency.
3. The FRP fixes only a floor, so mills are free to pay cane farmers more than the FRP.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q10. With reference to the recovery-linked Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Because the price payable for cane depends on the sugar recovery attributed to the mill, under-reporting of recovery would reduce farmers' receipts even if their cane is weighed correctly.
2. Under-weighment of cane at the mill gate would reduce farmers' receipts even if the mill's recovery is reported correctly.
3. The premium payable for recovery above the basic recovery rate is borne by the Central Government as an incentive, and not by the sugar mill.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 only
• C. 1, 2 and 3
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q11. With reference to the different dimensions of drought, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Meteorological drought is defined by soil moisture falling below what standing crops require.
2. Agricultural drought can set in even when the seasonal rainfall total is close to normal, if long dry spells at critical crop stages deplete soil moisture.
3. Hydrological drought, the depletion of reservoirs and groundwater, typically appears in the first weeks of a rainfall deficit and ends as soon as the rains resume.

• A. 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q12. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. In India, drought is usually declared for sub-district units such as taluks, blocks or mandals rather than for a whole State at one go.
2. Rainfall deficiency is the only drought indicator for which data are available below the district level.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q13. Consider the following data on pulses in India. In 2024–25, area was 277.20 lakh ha, yield 926 kg/ha and production 256.83 lakh tonnes. In 2025–26, area was 286.46 lakh ha, yield 957 kg/ha and production 274.09 lakh tonnes. The Mission targets an area of 310 lakh ha, a yield of 1,130 kg/ha and production of about 350 lakh tonnes by 2030–31. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

1. Neither the targeted area expansion alone (at the 2025–26 yield) nor the targeted yield rise alone (on the 2025–26 area) would be enough to reach the production target.
2. The proportional increase targeted in yield is larger than the proportional increase targeted in area.
3. The rise in production between 2024–25 and 2025–26 came entirely from expansion of the area under pulses.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q14. A farmer who has grown only cereals for many years begins rotating a pulse crop with the cereal. Which of the following outcomes are most likely?

1. A reduced requirement of synthetic nitrogenous fertiliser for the succeeding cereal crop
2. A lower greenhouse-gas footprint for the cropping system, owing to reduced use of manufactured fertiliser
3. A break in continuous cereal monoculture, diversifying the farm's cropping pattern
4. The complete elimination of any need for fertiliser application in the succeeding cereal crop

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4 only
• C. 1, 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1 and 2 only

Q15. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Growing a pulse crop in the rabi season on rice-fallow land raises the cropping intensity of that land.
2. Pulses, being legumes, fix atmospheric nitrogen through bacteria in their root nodules and so improve soil fertility.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q16. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. The Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses pairs higher MSPs for Tur, Urad and Masoor with a commitment of assured government procurement, in order to draw farmers towards these crops.
2. A Minimum Support Price gives farmers effective price protection mainly where a public agency actually stands ready to buy the crop at that price.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q17. With reference to the procurement of pulses under the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Procurement of Tur, Urad and Masoor at MSP under the Mission is carried out by cooperative central agencies such as NAFED and NCCF rather than by the Food Corporation of India.
2. The assured procurement is open to any farmer who brings these pulses to a regulated market, without prior registration or agreement.
3. Under the component used for this procurement, the government pays farmers the gap between MSP and the market price without taking physical possession of the produce.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q18. With reference to the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Act, 2001 and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Under the PPV&FR Act, a farmer may save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seed of a protected variety, but may not sell it as branded seed.
2. Registration under the PPV&FR Act confers intellectual property rights over plant varieties, whereas the Biological Diversity Act regulates access to biological resources and the sharing of benefits from their use.
3. Farmers and farming communities who conserve landraces and wild relatives of economic plants can be rewarded under the PPV&FR framework without having bred a new variety.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1 and 3 only

Q19. A lagging district grows only a rain-fed kharif crop on most of its net sown area. Which one of the following interventions would most directly raise the district's cropping intensity?

• A. Extending assured irrigation so that a rabi crop can follow kharif on the same fields
• B. Consolidating scattered parcels into compact operational holdings for each farmer
• C. Bringing culturable wasteland under a single rain-fed kharif crop every year
• D. Introducing high-yielding varieties to raise kharif output per hectare of land

Q20. Consider the following statements regarding agricultural land-use indicators: Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

1. Cropping intensity of a district can exceed 100 only if some part of its net sown area is cropped more than once in the same agricultural year.
2. A district with a large Net Cropped Area can still have a low cropping intensity.
3. An operational holding is identified by ownership title, so land leased in and cultivated by a tenant is counted in the landowner's holding.

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 3 only
• D. 1 and 3 only

Q21. With reference to the convergence-based design of the Prime Minister Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY), consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. In a selected district, the scheme's own outlay replaces the budgets of the converging Central schemes, which then stop operating separately there.
2. Because delivery runs through existing schemes, the District Action Plan has to be reflected in the State-level annual action plans through which those schemes approve and release funds.
3. The scheme aims to bring every eligible farmer in a selected district under the existing Central and State schemes, not to create a new beneficiary category.

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q22. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Setting up second-generation ethanol plants in major crop-growing regions can help reduce the burning of crop residue in fields.
2. Second-generation ethanol is produced from lignocellulosic agricultural residues such as paddy straw and wheat straw.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q23. Consider the following assertion: India's acceptance of Phase 1 of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies imposed limited immediate costs on its fisheries support programmes. Which of the statements given below support/supports the above assertion?

1. Phase 1 does not discipline subsidies for fuel, gear, ice and vessel construction, which are central to Indian state support for fishers.
2. The Agreement applies to marine wild capture fishing and excludes aquaculture and inland fisheries from its scope.
3. India's acceptance automatically extended the developing-country transition period under the Agreement to 25 years for Indian fishers.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q24. A landholding farmer family in Andhra Pradesh receives ₹6,000 a year under PM-KISAN and ₹14,000 a year under the State's Annadata Sukhibhava scheme, a combined ₹20,000. In the light of this arrangement, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. If the State decided to raise its own component, the amount the family receives under PM-KISAN would remain unchanged.
2. The ₹14,000 is the State's matching share, which must be provided before the central PM-KISAN instalments can be released.
3. The Centre reduces its PM-KISAN payment in States that pay farmers an additional top-up of their own.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q25. With reference to anaerobic digestion as used in compressed biogas plants, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The same digestion process can handle feedstocks as varied as cattle dung, sugarcane press mud and sewage treatment plant waste.
2. Methane in the digester is generated mainly by slow combustion of the organic matter at high temperature.
3. The slurry left after the gas is extracted retains plant nutrients and can be marketed as a fertiliser product.

• A. 2 and 3 only
• B. 1 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q26. With reference to Fermented Organic Manure (FOM) in India's biogas and CBG ecosystem, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. FOM is derived from the digestate left after organic matter has been broken down in a biogas or CBG plant.
2. Market Development Assistance for such manure is linked to the quantity sold, and the manure must meet the specifications for organic fertilisers under the Fertilizer Control Order.
3. Because manure is a second saleable output, weak demand for it can hurt the economics of a CBG plant even when the plant's gas sales are assured.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 2 only
• D. 2 and 3 only

Q27. Under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, which one of the following forms of farm support would be classified as Amber Box support subject to limits?

• A. Government-funded regional development programmes for backward farming districts
• B. Government-funded environmental protection programmes on agricultural land
• C. Direct income payments to farmers not linked to current production or prices
• D. A guaranteed minimum price at which the government buys a crop from its growers

Q28. With reference to the classification of domestic support under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above are correct?

1. The de minimis level of Amber Box support that escapes limits is set higher for most developing countries than for developed countries.
2. Green Box support may include market price support, provided it is financed from the government budget.
3. Developing countries may give input subsidies generally available to low-income or resource-poor producers without counting them against their limits.
4. Blue Box payments are capped by a spending ceiling, just as Amber Box support is.

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 2 and 4 only

Q29. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Under WTO rules, a developing country's public stockholding programme can count as trade-distorting domestic support even if the stocks are distributed only to its own poor households.
2. Under WTO rules, buying stocks from farmers at prices fixed by the government is treated as price support, whereas buying them at market prices is not.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q30. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

1. Because rabi crops are sown only after the southwest monsoon has withdrawn, a deficient southwest monsoon has little bearing on rabi output.
2. Reservoir storage and carry-over soil moisture left behind by the monsoon influence the prospects of rabi crops.

• A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
• B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
• C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
• D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct