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UPSC Prelims 2004 · Agriculture · Farm Money
Consider the following statements: India continues to be dependent on imports to meet the requirement of oilseeds in the country because Which of the statements given above are correct?
- Farmers prefer to grow food grains with highly remunerative support prices.
- Most of the cultivation of oilseed crops continues to be dependent on rainfall.
- Oils from the seeds to tree origin and rice bran have remained unexploited.
- It is far cheaper to import oilseeds than to cultivate the oilseed crops.
- (a) 1 and 2
- (b) 1, 2 and 3
- (c) 3 and 4
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 3
Price bias to cereals, rainfed cultivation and unused oil sources.
Statement by statement
1. ✓ CORRECT Cereals with assured MSP and procurement attract farmers away from oilseeds.
2. ✓ CORRECT Most oilseeds are grown rainfed, so yields are low and uncertain.
3. ✓ CORRECT Tree-borne oilseeds and rice bran oil were under-used.
4. ✗ WRONG Imports are not simply “far cheaper” than growing oilseeds; the problem is low productivity and policy.
Why the others are wrong
(a) Drops unused sources.
(c) Accepts that imports are far cheaper.
(d) Accepts that imports are far cheaper.
The trap
Statement 4 is an over-generalisation.
🔒 Oilseeds: rainfed, low yield. Yellow Revolution (1986, TMO).