Agriculture and Food Systems

Farm prices, subsidies and risk support

First systematic UPSC preparation after basic Indian crop geography and introductory economic concepts; no agricultural degree assumed.

Includes

• Assigned sections and concise recall notes
• Available mapped practice and analysis of mistakes
• One initial closed-book review

Separate time needed

• Later spaced revision
• Full mock papers
• Crop-distribution maps and physical soil/water processes assigned in Geography
• General rural-credit theory assigned in Economy
• Professional agronomy or veterinary treatment training
• Memorising annual scheme outlays and beneficiary totals

Editorial planning estimate; not learner timing data

• Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Annual Report 2025–26 ↗

  Sections 3.2.2 opening/items 1, 4–5 and 3.2.3 opening, printed pp. 25–26; sample estimates and recommendation/approval process.

• Agricultural cost of cultivation methodology: 28th COCSSO presentation ↗

  PDF p. 4: component table, A2+FL and C2 rows.

• Steps to Increase Farmers Income (11 February 2020) ↗

  First two substantive paragraphs and procurement paragraph: projected estimates, weights and crop/quality/time conditions; dated 11 February 2020.

• Calculation of MSP (3 March 2020) ↗

  Opening, cost-factor, A2+FL/C2, procurement-choice and final specifications paragraphs; omit model-law, market-rollout and income-guarantee claims.

• Fertilizer subsidy design and DBT: parliamentary reply of 25 July 2025 ↗

  Urea, P&K and supplier-payment mechanism paragraphs; dated 25 July 2025. Omit rates, totals, universal benefits and preserve the imported-urea exception.

• PM-KISAN operational guidelines, revised as on 29 March 2020 ↗

  Sections 1–4, pp. 2–3; 5.1, p. 3 and 5.5, p. 5. Dated targeting design; omit benefit amounts, expired dates and later administrative subclauses.

• Master Circular - Kisan Credit Card Scheme (4 July 2018) ↗

  Sections 3–4, 5.1.4, 6.1–6.2, 10.1 and 13.1. Read credit purposes, eligibility and repayment design; omit monetary ceilings, obsolete compulsory-insurance wording and current-rule inference.

• Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Annual Report 2025–26 ↗

  Sections 10.2.1–10.2.3, printed p. 151, and 12.4–12.5 mechanism sentences, p. 172. Exclude rates, totals and promotional/causal impact claims.

• Insurance of crops in developing countries: chapter 2, product design ↗

  Section 2.4.2; section 2.5.2 The Concept opening three paragraphs and the explicit Basis Risk paragraph. Exclude section 2.3 WTO claims, historical market examples and broad suitability claims.

• PMFBY Operational Guidelines 2023, effective Kharif 2023 ↗

  Sections 3.1–3.1.2, pp. 14–15; 5.1–5.5, pp. 17–18; 13.1–13.1.1, pp. 47–48; 18.1–18.2, p. 70; 21.2.1, pp. 88–89; 29.3.5 and 30.1–30.4, pp. 134–135. Selected mechanisms; omit rates, annual notifications and claims of universal delivery.

• Implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (5 August 2016) ↗

  Participation paragraph and salient features ii–iii, v and viii–ix: historical comparison for the 2016 PMFBY question. Omit achievement claims, budgets and premium-rate memorisation.

• Indian Economic Development, chapter 2 ↗

  The Debate Over Subsidies, three paragraphs, printed p. 26 (PDF p. 11). Exclude surrounding Green Revolution outcome claims.

• Economic Survey 2015–16 Volume I, chapter 9: Reforming the Fertiliser Sector ↗

  Sections 9.5; 9.11 first two sentences; 9.15 first two sentences; 9.16 last three sentences; 9.27 excluding tenant percentage. Printed pp. 131–132, 134 and 138. Historical mechanisms only; omit empirical shares, universal nutrient ratios and proposals as implemented policy.

• Abstraction of Groundwater: parliamentary reply of 23 August 2012 ↗

  Paragraphs beginning As per the assessment and In many States: energy-cost and pumping incentives only. Exclude dated withdrawal/subsidy totals and institutional-status claims.

• Domestic support in agriculture: The boxes ↗

  Amber, Blue, Green and Development Box explanations, excluding dated membership figures; use the Agreement for conditions.

• Agreement on Agriculture: articles and annexes ↗

  Articles 6–7; Annex 2 paragraphs 1–6 with footnotes 5 and 5&6; Annex 3 paragraphs 1–3 and 8–9. Classify examples, compare denominators and distinguish administered-price support from purchase expenditure.

• Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes, Ministerial decision 7 December 2013 ↗

  Paragraphs 2–6: scope, notification, safeguards and consultation conditions.

• Public Stockholding for Food Security Purposes, General Council decision 27 November 2014 ↗

  Paragraphs 1–2 and footnotes: duration and scope of the 2014 decision. This is not a current negotiations update.

• Department of Food and Public Distribution Annual Report 2024–25 ↗

  Sections 6.2–6.4, printed pp. 68–69 (PDF pp. 74–75): recommendation, FRP purpose and recovery linkage; omit price tables and performance inference.

• Sugarcane Cultivation in Haryana: Lok Sabha reply 2901, 10 March 2026 ↗

  Answer (b) first paragraph, p. 1; sentence after the table and answer (c), p. 2: FRP, Haryana SAP and enforcement. Exclude seasonal rates and arrears totals.

• Cabinet approves Fair and Remunerative Price payable by sugar mills for 2017–18 sugar season ↗

  Opening approval sentence and Details paragraph beginning FRP of sugarcane has been determined. Omit rates, outcome claims and other policy announcements.