General Agriculture For IBPS AFO,NABARD,RRB SO

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AGRICULTURE PROFILE OF INDIA

The total geographical area of the country- 329 million hectares (mha)
The net sown area of the country is 4 MHA (42.4% of total geographical area).
The gross sown area of the country is 2 million hectares.
The net irrigated area in India is 64 Mha (2021) (Source: DAC&FW, 2021)
The cropping intensity (CI) of India is 6%.
The barren and uncultivable land area in the country is 8mha.
The Degraded land area/Deforested/desertification area in the country is 40 MHA.
The wasteland area in the country is 7 MHA (16.96% to TGA).
The share of agriculture and allied sectors in GDP during 2020-21 is 9% whereas during 2019-20 was 17.8%
The Gross Capital Formation (GCF) in Agriculture and Allied Sectors relative to Gross Value Added (GVA) during 2019-20 was 4% (GCF an indicator of the level of investment activity).
The percentage share of agricultural workers in Total workers is 6%. (Registrar General of India)
The percentage of rural households is engaged in agriculture-8% (Situation Assessment Survey of Agricultural Households, NSO)
Source: Land Use Statistics & DES 2020-21
The total forest cover in India is 73 million ha (24.56% of geographical area).

Agriculture Current Affairs 2021 For Competitive Exams

(Source: Indian state of Forest report-2019, released biennially once by Forest Survey of India)

The State with the highest forest area in the country in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Arunachal
The top five states with forest cover as a percentage of the total geographical area is-

Mizoram (85.41%),
Arunachal Pradesh (79.63%),
Meghalaya (76.33%),
Manipur (75.46%) and
Nagaland (75.31%).

For maintaining ecological balance percentage of the land area that should be under forest is 33%.
The per capita forest land availability in the country is 08 hectares (a normal requirement for basic needs is 0.47 hectare)
The total bamboo bearing area of the country is 16 Million hectares (Mha).
The total food grain production in India for the year 2019-20 was 65 million tonnes.
The Net Irrigated area in India is 64 Mha (2021) (Source: DAC&FW, 2021).

(Note: Net Irrigated area includes irrigating by government canals, private canals, tanks, tube wells, other wells).

The Gross irrigated area of India is 46 Mha.
Uttar Pradesh (14.33Mha) is the state with the highest net irrigated
The total Micro-irrigation area in India is 90 Mha (Drip= 6.11 Mha; Sprinkler= 6.79 Mha)

Note: Only 19% out of the total irrigated area is under micro-irrigation.

Andhra Pradesh (1.9 Mha) is the state with the highest Micro-irrigation area.
Andhra Pradesh (1.38 Mha) is the state with the highest area under Drip
Karnataka (1.14 Mha) is the state with the highest area under Sprinkler irrigation.
Sikkim (73%) is the state with the highest area under micro-irrigation when compared with the total net irrigated area.
The contribution of Livestock to National GDP is– 2% (2020-21)
The contribution of livestock in total agriculture and allied sector GVA (at constant prices)/GDP is 63 per cent.
The Growth rate of GVA of Agriculture and Allied sectors at basic prices in 2019-20 is 0%.
The Overall growth rate of GVA at Basic Prices is 9%.
The Overall GDP growth rate at Constant Prices (2011-12) in 2019-20 is 2 %.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021 as the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables.
The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2022 as the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture
The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution sponsored by India and declaring 2023 as the International Year of Millets

Note: India is the largest producer of Millets in the world, producing 14 million tonnes in 14 Mha and accounts for 40 percent of the world’s output

UN decade of action of nutrition -2016-2025
India’s first pollinator park with over 40 species of butterflies, honeybees, birds and other insects set up at– Haldwani in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand on 29 December 2020.
Multipurpose seaweed park to be established at Tamil Nadu (To promote seaweed cultivation, as it is an emerging sector with the potential to transform the lives of coastal communities).
The ambitious target set by the government of India for renewable energy capacity addition by 2022 is 175 Giga watts (GW).

Note: Out of 175 GW- 100 GW for Solar, 60 GW for Wind, 10 GW for Bio-energy and 5 GW for Small hydro-power.

The state with the highest installed solar power generation capacity in India is- Karnataka (Installed 7,100 megawatt (MW) solar
A National level Ag-tech Hackathon for promoting innovation in farm mechanization– KRITAGYA (Launched by ICAR-NAHEP)
India’s first convergence green energy project to generate green energy for rural and agriculture consumption to be set up in- Goa (Nov 2020)
The World’s largest solar tree is installed at Durgapur, West
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) proclaimed 2021-2030 as- UN decade of ecosystem restoration and oceanic science for sustainable development
Mobile App launched by CSIR-CRRI (Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi) to connect farmers to Supply chain is Kisan Sabha, 2^nd May,
e-Gopala (Sep 9, 2020) is the App launched by the Prime Minister of India for a comprehensive breed improvement marketplace and information portal for the direct use of livestock farmers.
The largest exporter of Rice in the world is– India

Note: India becomes the largest exporter of rice in the world with a record of 14 million tonnes of rice export in 2020.

*The first state in the country to flagged off India’s first fruit train was Andhra

Note: A fruit train was flagged from Tadipatri railway station in A.P. carrying a load of 980 metric tonnes of locally grown bananas to Jawaharlal Lal Nehru Port in Mumbai from where the consignment will be exported to Iran (Bananas exported under the brand name Happy Bananas)

The Asian development bank and of India signed a 10 million Project Readiness Financing to expand horticulture and to promote Instant Quick Freezing of fruits and vegetables in Himachal Pradesh.
India’s First Kisan special Parcel Train or Kisan Rail transported fruits and vegetables between- Maharashtra (Devlali) and Bihar (Danapur) (three days a week)
India’s First ever Kisan Rail for seamless connectivity among farms, markets & consumers was flagged off on- 7th August 2020
India’s second and South India’s first Kisan train run between- Anantapur (Andhra Pradesh) and New Delhi.
India’s second Kisan train started on- 9th Sep 2020
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare launched ‘All India Agri Transport Call Centre’ number to facilitate interstate movement of perishables is- 1800 180 4200 and 14488
Central Government recently approved field trials of Indigenous Bt Brinjal Varieties is Janak and BSS-793 (Developed by IARI contains Bt Cry1Fa1 gene) (IMP)
The first Indian state to declare state mangrove tree as a symbol of conservation is- Maharashtra

Note: Maharashtra State board for wildlife cleared a proposal to declare “Sonneratia alba” as the state mangrove tree.

India’s 1st cow dung paint developed by Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) India is Khadi Prakritik paint on 13th Jan 2021.

Note: Khadi prakritik paint prepared from cow dung as its key ingredient. The paint is cost-effective and odourless and has been certified by BIS.

India’s first honey testing laboratory was set up at NDDB, Anand, Gujarath (24 July, 2020).

Note: Lab set up as per Norms of FSSAI. The purity of Honey, Adulteration, chemical substances, Residues, Heavy metals or antibodies can be checked.

India’s first solar “Agro-photovoltaic” power project will be set up on a 250-acre area in Pampore, Jammu and Kashmir (generate up to 10 megawatts of electricity and simultaneously used for saffron production)
Prime Minister of India launched Asia’s Largest Solar plant (750 MW) in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh (10 July 2020)
India’s biggest floating solar power plant with a capacity of 100 MW will be set up at Ramagundam in Telangana.
20 Lakh crore is the economic relief package is announced by Prime Minister through Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Note: Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan economic package is equivalent to how much of India’s GDP 10%

The financing facility provided for Agriculture Infrastructure Fund for agri-entrepreneurs, start-ups and farmer groups is 1 Lakh crore.
National Medicinal Plants Board is located at New Delhi (Under Ministry of AYUSH).
The online registration portal is developed by National Bee Board under National Beekeeping & Honey Mission (NBHM) to achieve a traceability source of Honey and checking the source and the quality and source of adulteration of honey Madhurkranti Portal (7 April 2021).
A special space for the marketing and sale of honey launched and operated by NAFED is Honey corners (7 April 2021)
An electronic trading platform launched by NAFED with physical infrastructure present at each proposed location in partnership with local FPO to be integrated with a national level digital marketing platform is NAFED e-Kisan Mandis (NeKM).
India’s largest semen station in the Government sector is launched at Purnia, Bihar (Sep 9, 2020)
ICAR-IASRI could infrastructure and services for the National Agricultural Research & Education system is Krishi Megh at New Delhi (11 Aug 2020).
*Mobile App launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to facilitate farmers and traders to identify right mode of transportation for movement of farm produce is- Kisan Rath, 17th April 2020. (Developed by National Informatics Centre (NIC)

Note the important point of General Agriculture

Primary Transport – From Mandi to Mandis, FPOs, Warehouses;
Secondary Transport- Mandis to intra-state and inter-state mandis, railway
Krishi Megh is the Data Recovery Centre of ICAR, for protecting ICAR data.
Norway on 28 Jan 2020 is the first country in the world to adopt a ban on deforestation, a groundbreaking move that could have a major global impact.
*India’s first-ever brand logo for cotton and India’s premier cotton would be known as Kasturi
The World’s largest commercial agriculture drone/World’s most advanced drone for agriculture is Air board agro (founded by Elviss Straupenieks of Latvia)
The target of renewable energy capacity kept by Govt. of India for 2030 is 450
The first farm-based solar power plant under the PM KUSUM (Kisan Urja Suraksha Evum Utthan Mahabhiyan) scheme has come up in Jaipur district’s Kotputli tehsil with a provision for production of 17 lakh units of electricity every year (April 2021).
KVIC prepared Nutrient-rich healthy drink/processed drink- ‘Neera’ and Palmgur (jaggery) from Palm oil.
India’s first agricultural futures trading index, ‘Agridex’ with four contracts expiring in June, July, September and December was launched by National Commodity and Derivatives Exchange (NCDEX).

Note: Agridex, launched on 25 May, 2021, comprises 10 liquid commodities traded on NCDEX. The spot and future of these 10 commodities- soybean, chana, coriander, cottonseed oil cake, guar gum, guar seed, mustard seed, refined soy oil, castor seed and jeera.

Lakshadweep is the World’s First conversation area for sea cucumber.
Sikkim becomes the first state under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bhima Yojana (PMFBY) to cover crop loss done by wild animals.
India’s first Gender Park set up at-Kozhikode, Kerala on 11-13 February 2021 (on the occasion of the Second Edition of International conference on Gender Equality).

Note: Gender Park was established with the aim of creating relevant interventions to address a range of gender-based issues.

India’s first wetland conservation centre/ first specialized institution for wetlands ‘Centre for Wetland Conservation and Management (CWCM)’ is established in Chennai on 2nd Feb

Note: India has 42 sites designated as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar convention, covering a surface area of 1.08 mha.

National Research Centre for Chikoo/Sapota set up in Thane,
Uttar Pradesh state forest department has done a census of waterbirds for the first
Union ministry of Agriculture launched Green-Ag. Project to reduce emissions from agriculture and ensure sustainable agricultural practices on a pilot basis in Mizoram (28 July 2020).

Funded by: Global Environment Facility;, National Execution Agency- Ministry of Agriculture.

Powerhouse of Nutrients/Nutri-Cereals/Climate resilient crops are- Millets
Rural Retail Outlets opened by Indian Oil Corporation Limited to provide rural customers with facilities like Micro ATM, Fertilizers/Pesticides, farm equipments is Kisan Seva Kendra (KSK operating in the country is 8044, functioning under of petroleum & Natural Gas).
The total number of KVKs at present is 722 (as of June, 2020).
For effective functioning and monitoring of KVKs, KVKs are divided into- 11 ATARI Zones
Country’s first-ever electric tractor tested at Central Farm Machinery Training & Testing Institute (CFMTTI), Budni, M.P. (Feb, 2021).
The percentage of Farm mechanization utilization in India is about 40%.
Total food grain production in the country for the year 2019-20 was 7 million tonne

Note: India’s share in global total food grain production is 25%

Target food grain production set up by the government of India for the year 2021-22 is 307 million tonnes.
The growth rate of GVA of Agriculture and Allied sectors at basic prices in 2019-20 is 0%.
The estimated growth rate of the Agriculture and allied sectors at basic prices in 2020-21 is 4% (1st Advanced Estimates).
Share of Agriculture and allied sectors in GDP/GVA during 2019-20 was 17.8%

Item	Share in GVA (2019-20)
Crops	9.4
Livestock	5.1
Forestry and Logging	1.3
Fishing and Aquaculture	1.2

Note: Gross Value Added is simply gross domestic product minus taxes, the widest measure of income growth in an economy.

(Source: Economic Survey 2020-21).

Total Pulse production for the year 2019-20 is- 03 MT
The unique project launched by KVIC to mitigate human-elephant conflicts in the country is RE-HAB (Reducing Elephant Human Attacks using Bees)

Note: Submission under KVIC’s National Honey mission. To mitigate human-elephant conflicts by creating ‘bee fences.

Among Pulses, the crop with the highest production and largest area under cultivation is- Bengal gram/ Chick pea/Chana/gram (Second is Arhar/Pigeon pea)
Among Oil seeds, the crop with the highest production and largest area under cultivation is soybean (Second is Groundnut)
International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) South Asia Regional Centre is established at Varanasi, P. (Dec, 2018)
First Director of IRRI South Asia Regional Center- Arvind Kumar
The buffer stock maintained/Procurement made by FCI is- 66MT (Rice-26.62 MT; Wheat- 55.03 MT) as of July 2020

Note: Normal buffer stock capacity of FCI is- 41.12 mmt

Rice Knowledge bank launched (an agriculture web portal) launched on- 28 Feb, 2019 at Funded by World Bank for enhancing knowledge on Rice production techniques and technologies.
Farm Science Congress held for the first time in- Bengaluru, Jan 3, 2020
The Programme launched by Prime Minister for eradicating the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Brucellosis in the livestock is – National Animal Disease Control Programme(NADCP), 11 Sep,2019.
The main aim of NADCP is to control Foot & Mouth Disease (Viral Disease) of cattle and Brucellosis (Zoonotic disease caused by bacteria) by 2025 and eventual eradication by
World Bank assisted project SMART launched by which state to Augment agribusiness in rural areas is Maharashtra. SMART-State of Maharashtra’s Agribusiness and Rural Transformation (SMART)
The government of India set up a target of 20% ethanol blended petrol by 2025

Note: India is the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the US and China and plans to reduce its carbon footprint from the 2005 levels by 33-35% by 2030 and pushing ethanol production from surplus sugar production.

The Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare launched online software for processing applications, Agmark quality certification mark for agricultural products is AGMARK Online
Monthly pension scheme launched by Central Govt. for benefit of Small & marginal is Pradhan Mantri Kisan Man Dhan Yojana (Sep 12 2019); Monthly Pension of Rs.3000 will be provided to farmers on attaining the age of 60
India’s first high oleic acid groundnut varieties developed by ICAR-DGR, Junagadh is Girnar4(ICGV 15083) & Girnar 5 (ICGV 15090)
First SAARC Agri Cooperative Business Forum was held in 28-30 August 2018 at Kathmandu, Nepal.
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has opened its first Silk processing plant at Surendranagar, Gujarat
The World Food Prize 2021 was awarded to- Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted

Note: Haraksingh Thilsted from Trinidad and Tobago, for her groundbreaking research in fish based food systems to improve nutrition, health and livelihoods for millions around the world. (Most Imp)

The total egg production in the country during 2019-20 was 38 billion.
According to FAOSTAT production data (2019) India rank in egg production in 2019-20 was 3^rd
The per capita availability of egg in 2019-20 was 86 eggs per
Total Meat production in the country in 2019-20 was 6 million tonnes.
India rank in meat production in the world was 5th
Per capita availability of eggs in India is 74 per person per
Position of India in terms of Egg Production 3rd (1-China; 2- USA)
Total commercial poultry population in India was 7 million.
Total Milk production in the country during 2019-20 was 4 million tones
Per capita availability of Milk in India 407 grams per person per
The estimated demand for Milk and Milk products by 2030 at an all India level is 5 million metric tonnes.
The per capita consumption of milk in the urban areas is- 592 ml and in the rural areas is 404 ml (2030 projections).
India’s share in World Milk production 21%.
Minimum Support Price recommended by Commission for Agricultural Cost and Prices (CACP).
MSP announced by the Government of India; MSP is calculated based on Avg. Cost of Production

Note: MSP was first announced for the Wheat crop in the year 1966-67

At present MSP is announced for 23 crop commodities only

Note: 7 cereals (paddy, wheat, maize, sorghum, pearl millet, barley and ragi), 5 pulses (gram, tur, moong, urad, lentil), 7 oilseeds (groundnut, rapeseed-mustard, soyabean, seasmum, sunflower, safflower, niger seed), and 4 commercial crops (copra, sugarcane, cotton and raw jute).

Uttar Pradesh is the state that produces the highest food grains.
Madhya Pradesh is the State that produces the highest
Rajasthan is the state that ranks first in Oilseed production.
2018– National Year of Millets
The First-Ever world Pulse Celebrated on-10 Feb 2019
First-ever World cotton day celebrated on-7th October 2019
The first-ever World Food Safety Day was celebrated on- 7th June, 2019
FAO of the UNdeclared the annual observance of World Pulses Day starting from the year-2019
WTO hosted the First Edition of World cotton Day on 7 October in- Geneva, Switzerland
Institutional credit for the Agriculture sector for the year 2021-22–5 lakh crores
The time period for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set up by UN is- 2015-2030
The number of Sustainable Development goals are 17
The main aim of Sustainable Development Goals laid by the United Nations is to ensure food security vis-à-vis nutritional security
Chairman of 15th Finance Commission (2017-2022) was NK
Chairman of International Egg Commission (IEC) Suresh Chitturi
Chairman of the Asia Pacific Rural and Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA) Chinta Govindarajulu
The Total number of regulated markets in India 7320
Total number of APMCs (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) 585
Total number of GRAMs (Gramin Retail Agriculture Markets) 22,000
The first state to enact the law on Contract Farming in India is Tamil Nadu
The first state in the country to implement “Land Leasing Policy” is Uttarakhand
“Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing” (Promotion & Facilitation) Act was enacted is the year
of India Constituted Agri export policy for farmers on 9 Dec, 2018 (aim: to double Agri exports to 60 billion$ by 2022)

Note: APEDA Nodal agency for implementing Agri Export Policy.

general agriculture Important Policies / Acts / Ordinances:

Policy/Act	Year of Formulation	Purpose
Land Leasing Act	2016	To permit and facilitate leasing of agricultural land to improve access to land by the landless and marginal farmers.
Agriculture Produce & Livestock Marketing Act	2017	To create a single agriculture market with a single license in which agriculture produce and livestock would Be traded. There are no separate fees allocated for individual markets.
*Contract Farming Act/Model Contract Farming bill	2018	To provide adequate confidence to farmers and incentives to sponsors to enter into contract farming.
Agri Export Policy	2018	To double Agri exports to 60 billion$ by 2022
Pesticide management Bill	2020	Regulate the business of pesticides and compensate farmers in case of losses from the use of agrochemicals.
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance & Farm Services Ordinance	17 Sep 2020 (Passed in parliament)	Government to form and promote 10,000 new FPOs and to promote Contract Farming
The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance	17 Sep 2020	To remove barriers in inter-state trade and give farmers the choice of sale.
Amendment to Essential Commodities Act	17 Sep 2020 (Passed in parliament)	§ Deregulation of cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potatoes from essential commodities. § Stock limit imposed under exceptional situations like natural calamities § No stock limit for processors, value chain participants or exporters.

India’s First Agro met Forecast Centre Inaugurated at UAS, Dharwad,

(Main objective is to give accurate reports on weather which would enable the farmers to protect the crops and get a good yield.)

First state in India to use Automated Weather Stations (AWS) to provide accurate report on Weather to farmers is
Special Micro credit facility scheme to facilitate street vendors to access affordable working capital loan of 10,000 is PM SVANIDHI
The Nodal Agency that deals in Procurement, Processing, Distribution, export & import of selected Agricultural commodities NAFED (Oct, 1958)
Nodal agency for undertaking price support operations for pulses & oilseeds and market intervention operation for other agricultural commodities is- NAFED
Implementing agency for National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)
Nodal Agency for Promoting export-oriented production and development of the Scheduled products is APEDA (1985)
In January 2020 the states that faced severe attack by Locusts is Gujarat & Rajasthan (5.66 lakh ha area in 10 states (severe in Rajasthan and Gujarat).
*First Pashu Kisan Credit cards were distributed to 101 animal farmers in the state of Bhiwani, Haryana (Imp)
To provide Digital mobile extension services for coffee stakeholders, the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry launched Coffee Connect & Coffee Krishi
22 products received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from Government of India in 2020.

Note: The First Product to get a GI tag in India was Darjeeling Tea in 2004.

The Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks (CGPDTM), a subordinate office under the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion looks into the filings of various Intellectual Property rights in India.
National Sugar Institute (NSI) of India will establish Sugar Institute at- Nigeria
5th Pulses conclave held at– Lonovala, Maharsatra, 12-14 Feb,
The Scheme launched by FSSAI on the eve of World Food Day, 2019 is Food Safety
Note: Food Safety Mitra is an individual professional certified by FSSAI who assists in compliances related to FSSAI act.
The main aim or objective of Food Safety Mitra is for Strengthening and scaling up the ‘Eat Right India’ movement
An initiative launched by FSSAI for collection and conversion of used cooking oil to biodiesel is Repurpose Used Cooking Oil (RUCO).
Headquarters of the International Solar Alliance is at Gurugram, Haryana
National Nutrition Mission launched on 8 March 2018
National Beekeeping and Honey Mission launched on- 2020 (as part of Atma nirbhar package)

Aim: For overall promotion and development of scientific beekeeping in mission mode to achieve the goal of “Sweet Revolution”.

Target kept by the Government of India to become free of Trans fat is

AGRICULTURE CENSUS – 2015

Total number of Operational Holdings in India -146.45 million
The average Land Holding size is 08 hectare

-The average size of operational holdings is highest in Nagaland (5 hectares) and lowest in Kerala (0.18 hectares). (Imp)

The Gross Cropped Area in India is 36 million ha.
The Net Sown Area in India is 82 Mha (48% of total area).
The percentage of the population depending on agriculture for their livelihood is 54%.
The percentage of the workforce depends on agriculture is 50%.
The Gross Irrigated area in India is 46 Mha (29% of the total cultivated area).
The Net Irrigated area in India is 38 Mha (20% of the total irrigated area).
The Maximum number of operational (landholdings) holdings are in- P. (23.82 million).
The Minimum number of operational (landholdings) holdings are in- Sikkim (72,000)
The percentage of Small and marginal landholdings (below 2 hectares) constituted is 21%.
The percentage of rural women who depend on agriculture for their livelihood is 84%.
The percentage of women landholders (Cultivators) in agriculture is- 87%.
The Agricultural census was conducted for every 5years, first Ag. Census was conducted in 1970-71.

Indian Food Processing Sector at a glance:

Total number of Mega Food Parks in India are 42.
Cold storage capacity of Mega food parks is 32 Mt.
India’s First Aqua Mega Food Park is established at Bhimavaram mandal of West Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. (14 Feb, 2019)
Minimum Land required for setting up a Mega Food Park is 50 acres
The Food Processing Industry contribution to Agricultural sector is 9%.
The Food Processing Industry contribution to Manufacturing sector is 11%.
The Post-harvest losses in cereals and Pulses accounts for 4-6 per cent.
The Post-harvest losses in vegetables accounts for 7-12 per cent.
The Post-harvest losses in fruits accounts for 6-18 per cent.
First Modern Mega Food Park set up in NE-states at Zoram, Mizoram (22 July, 2020)
Italy launched First ever mega food park processing in India pilot project named as ‘The Mega Food Park’ at Fanidhar in the Mehsana district of Gujarat. (19 April 2021)

Schemes regarding Food Processing Sector:

A Gram Samridhi Yojana: 1 March,
- Launched by: World Bank + Central
- Objective: “To help Unorganized Food processing sector” concentrated in rural
- Funding: 3,000 crore (1500 Cr by World Bank, 1000 Cr by Central Govt. and 500 cr by State Govt.)
Pradhan Mantra Kisan SAMPADA Yojana– May, 2017

SAMPADA: Scheme for Agro Marine Processing and Development of Agro processing Clusters
Objective: Holistic development of the food processing sector (i.e., Mega food parks, Creation/expansion of preservation facilities, cold chain & operation green).

Trifood project: 20 August, 2020
- Launched by: Ministry of Tribal affairs and Ministry of Food Processing
- Implemented by: TRIFED (Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India)
- Objective: To enhance the income of tribal’s through better utilization of and value addition to the minor forest produce (MFP) collected by the tribal forest gatherers.
Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry (PLISFPI): May, 2021

Funding: 10900 Cr
Objective: to support creation of global food manufacturing champions commensurate with India’s natural resource endowment and support Indian brands of food products in the international

MITRA- Mega Investment Textiles Parks (MITRA)- February 2021

Objective: To make the textile industry to become globally competitive, attract large investments and boost exports.
Target: to establish 7 textile parks over

Pradhan Mantri Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PM FME): June 2020

Funding: 10,000 Cr
Objective: Scheme to help 2 lakh MFEs to attain FSSAI Food standards, build brands and Marketing.
Implemented in ‘Cluster Based Approach’

Other Important Snippets of general agriculture

Target year fixed by of India for Doubling of Farmers Income is 2022 (75th Independence of India) (Announced by PM in 2016).
Chairman of the Committee on Doubling of Farmer Income (DFI)- Ashok Dalwai
of India formulated point strategy to double farmers income Seven-point strategy
All agricultural programs and policies shift their focus from Production oriented to Income oriented approach
Number of Insecticides/pesticides registered in India (as of 2020) is 292 (out of 292 104 are indigenously produced or used in India

Note: India is the fourth-largest producer of pesticides in the world. Among crops paddy accounts for the maximum share of pesticide consumption (26-28%), followed by cotton (18-20%).

RKVY (Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana) renamed as Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied sector Rejuvenation (RAFTAAR) (Time period: 2017-2020)
**To Incentivize states to increase allocation for agriculture and allied sector is the main objective of- RKVY
India’s First RRBs to launch digital savings account facility is- Telangana Grameena Bank and Andhra Pradesh Grameena Vikas Bank
Country’s first indigenously developed value added fertilizer is Neem Coated Urea (Enhances Nitrogen Use efficiency and farmers need to apply 10% less urea)
100% FDI is allowed in Cold storage, ware houses and Food Processing
of India has increased MSP of Kharif crops by 1.5 times of cost of production.
The average size of land holding in India is- 08 ha (The average size of operational holdings is highest in Nagaland (5 hectares) and lowest in Kerala (0.18 hectares).
Total number of operational holdings in the country according to 2015-16 census is 146 Million.
Nodal Agency to coordinate the efforts on the Agri-export zones- APEDA
Total of Agri Export Zones in India 60.
Integrated Farming System (IFS) is the key approach for doubling farmers income by 2022.
Total number of Integrated Farming System (IFS) models developed by ICAR which are location specific, cost effective, eco-friendly, socially in farmers’ participatory mode was
Total number of Mega food parks in India 42 (Operational Mega Food Parks- 17)
A mission launched by the Ministry of earth science and technology dedicated to spreading awareness about nutrition and accessible to all locally available nutritious food, fruits, and vegetables is Aahaar Kranti (14 April 2021)
Agricultural Mechanization for Insitu management of crop residue in Punjab, Haryana, UP,
A Machine developed by PAU, Ludhiana that allows a farmer to harvest Paddy & plant Wheat without delay is Combo Happy Weeder.
NAFED procures “Oilseeds and Pulses” from the state government at MSP through Price Support Scheme (PSS)
Portal launched by the central government of India for e-marketing of Organic products is Jaivik kheti
A Company owned by DARE, under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare is Agriinnovate India
The Statutory body related to food safety and regulation, protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety in India is FSSAI, 2011 (Food Safety and Standard Authority of India) (FSSAI Act 2006).
The highest number of Custom Hiring Centers are in Odisha (2960) followed by Madhya Pradesh (1922) > Chhattisgarh (782)
The target number of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) set by central government to register is 10,000 (to promote cooperative farming).

Food Grain production Scenario (2019-20)

Food grains Production for the year 2019-20 (Final Estimates):

Foodgrain production includes cereals and pulses only
Total Cereals Production	274.48 MT
Total Pulses Production	23.03 MT
Total Foodgrain Production	297.50 MT

Cereals	Production (Million Tonnes)
**Rice	118.87 MT (a record)
**Wheat	107.86 MT (a record)
Maize	28.77 MT
Bajra	10.36 MT
Jowar	4.77 MT
Nutri cereals	17.26 MT
Small Millets	0.37 MT
Nutri/Coarse cereals	47.75 MT
Total Cereals Production	274.48 MT
Pulses
Gram/Bengal gram/Chickpea	11.08 MT
Tur /Red gram/Arhar	3.89 MT
Urad/Black gram	2.08 MT
Green gram/Moong	2.51 MT
Total Pulses Production	23.03 MT
Total foodgrain Production (Kharif- 143.81 MT Rabi – 153.69 MT)	297. 50 MT

(Source: Directorate of Economics & Statistics, 2020-21)

Nutri cereals + Small Millets + Maize + Barley = Coarse Cereals
Nutri Cereals = Jowar + Bajra + Ragi + Small Millets
Small Millets= Barnyard millet, Proso millet, Kodo millet, Little millet, Foxtail Millet
Sorghum, Maize, Bajra, Barley, Finger millet and Small millets such as (Barnyard millet, Proso millet, Kodo millet, Little millet, Foxtail Millet) together Called as “Coarse Cereals”.

General Agriculture Of Commercial Crops:

Oilseeds: Includes Nine crops e., Groundnut, castor, Mustard and Rape seed, Niger, linseed. Safflower, Sunflower, Soyabean and Sesamum.

Crop	Production (Million Tonnes)
Soyabean	11.22 MT
Groundnut	9.95 MT
Rape seed & Mustard	9.12 MT
Castor seed	1.84 MT
Total Oil seeds production (9 Oilseeds)	33.21 MT

Other Commercial Crops

Crop	Production
**Cotton	36.06 million bales #
Sugarcane	370.05 MT
Jute & Mesta	9.87 million bales ##

(Note: #1bale= 170 Kgs; ##1bale= 180 Kgs)

Bt cotton area in India is – 37 Mha (96% of cotton area)
Bt cotton area is highest in Maharashtra, followed by
Bt cotton is the only GM/Transgenic crop cultivated in India since 2002.
India ranks 5th in global cultivation of GM crops with only Bt cotton in
India is the largest producer of BT Cotton in the

Area and Yield of Major Food Crops 2019-20

Crop	Area (in Mha)
Rice	43.78
Wheat	31.45
Pulses	28.34
Oilseeds	27.04
Cotton	13.37
Nutri-Cereals	24.02
Total Food grains	127.59

Crop	Yield (quintal/ha)
Rice	27.05
Wheat	34.21
Maize	30.32
Pulses	8.17
Oilseeds	12.36
Cotton	4.51
Nutri-Cereals	19.76
Food grains	23.25

Note: Normal Kharif sowing area is- 106 Mha; Normal Rabi sowing area- 62 Mha

Commercial Crops 2020-21:

Crop	Production (Million Tonnes)
Soyabean	13.41 MT
Groundnut	10.12 MT
Rape seed &Mustard	9.99 MT
Castor seed	2.04 MT
Total Oil seeds production (9 Oilseeds)	36.57 MT
Cotton	36.49 Million bales
Sugarcane	392.80 MT
Jute & Mesta	9.62 Million bales

(Source: DACFW, 2021)

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