Agriculture - GS questions based on daily current affairs

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:
The findings of said study are as under:

• Improvement in soil health.
• Reduction in costs with respect to plant protection chemicals
• Reduction in pest and disease attack
• Increase in Yield
• Diversion of highly subsidized urea towards non-agricultural purposes is found to be negligible among farmers after the introduction of the mandatory policy of production and distribution of only neem coated urea.
  
  Based on the CCEA decision, Department of Fertilizers has made it mandatory for all the domestic producers of urea to produce 100% as Neem Coated Urea. Entire quantity of indigenously produced urea and imported urea is being neem coated.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
Pests of Plant, continue to be one of the biggest constraints to food and agricultural production. They cause on an average an annual loss of more than 40 percent of the world’s food supply, thus posing a threat to our food security.

Country has recently witnessed emergences and or acclimatisation of destructive invasive pests and diseases like South American pin worm on tomato; Western flower thrips on flowers; Tropical race of fusarium wilt on banana, spiraling whitefly in coconut, whitefly in cotton, etc.

To thwart any possibilities of biosecurity threat to Indian wheat due to emergence of stem rust race UG99 in Africa, India acted proactively to screen varieties against the pathogen in Kenya. As a result number of UG99 resistant varieties deployed in the country and prevented occurrence of epidemic.

During 2015-16, immediately after an invasive wheat blast disease destroyed large acreage of wheat in Bangladesh, India sent 40 wheat genotypes to CYMMIT for screening against blast in South American countries where the disease is prevalent.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:
Under the Gokul Mission attempts will made to constitute Breeders Associations (Gopalan Sanghs) on self-sustainable basis.

Association will play role in sale and purchase of animals and collect cess from the purchaser.

Breeders association will collect fee from the members on management of data of that particular indigenous breed.

Under the component funds will be made available for establishment of breeders society (office, computers and other equipment) and revolving funds to meet recurring expenditure during the initial periods.

Under the mission it is proposed that the following Awards will be instituted:

1. “Gopal Ratna’ Awards: to Farmers maintaining the best herd of Indigenous Breed(s) and practicing best management practices.
2. “Kamadhenu” Awards: Best managed Indigenous Herd by Institutions/Trusts/ NGOs/ Gaushalas Breeders’ Societies

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• NPBBDD will be implemented throughout the country.
• NPBBDD will finance all components in those States where National Dairy Plan, Phase I is not being implemented.
• In the case of States covered by National Dairy Plan Phase-I (NDP-I), NPBBDD will cover those components that are not covered by NDP.
• The target beneficiaries are rural cattle and buffalo keepers irrespective of caste, class and gender.

ANSWER: All of the above

Explanation:
National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBDD) has the following three components -

• National Programme for Bovine Breeding (NPBB) - To arrange quality Artificial Insemination services at farmers' doorstep
• National Programme for Dairy Development (NPDD) - To create and strengthen infrastructure for production of quality milk including cold chain infrastructure linking the farmer to the consumer
• Rashtriya Gokul Mission - To undertake breed improvement programme for indigenous cattle breeds so as to improve the genetic makeup and increase the stock.

ANSWER: 1, 3

Explanation:
The National Programme for Bovine Breeding and Dairy Development (NPBBDD) has been formulated by merging four on-going schemes of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries in the dairy sector.

These are the National Project for Cattle and Buffalo Breeding (NPCBB), Intensive Dairy Development Programme (IDDP), Strengthening Infrastructure for Quality and Clean Milk Production (SIQ and CMP) and assistance to cooperatives.

This has been done to integrate milk production and dairying activities in a scientific and holistic manner for attaining higher levels of milk production and productivity, to meet the increasing demand for milk in the country.

ANSWER: Millets

Explanation:

• Millets are rich sources of minerals like iron, calcium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium.
• These also contain appreciable amounts of dietary fibre and various vitamins (ß- Carotene, niacin, vitamin B6 and folic acid); high amounts of lecithin are useful for strengthening the nervous system.
• Therefore, a regular consumption can help to overcome malnutrition among majority of our Indian population.
• These have often been called the coarse grains; however, due to their nutritional contributions, these are now being referred as ‘nutria-millets/nutria-cereals’.
• The Central government launched the Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millet Promotion (INSIMP) in 2011-12 to promote millets as “nutri-cereals”.

ANSWER: Only 2

Explanation:

• One key aspect of the scheme is the post-harvest handling of millets, involving establishment of units for processing and value-addition. Composite millet processing centres, costing Rs 4,00,000, that handle de-stoning, de-hulling, flaking and rava- making, are to be established across the country towards this end.
• Millets are among the oldest food grains. For generations, farmers have been cultivating millets using mixed-farming techniques.
• Despite the proven advantages of mixed-farming systems, INSIMP is trying to promote intensive mono-cropping of millets.
• Green Revolution style, high external-input agriculture is being advocated through this scheme and the use of chemical inputs is being promoted.

ANSWER: Both 1 and 2

Explanation:

• Initiative for Nutritional Security through Intensive Millets Promotion (INSIMP) – a part of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana” (RKVY) which is the only comprehensive initiative to support millet production.
• A key feature of INSIMP is giving input kits, comprising urea and pesticides; costing Rs 2,000-3,000 depending on the type of crop; and seed kits, comprising hybrid seeds to the farmers.
• These kits are supplied by nodal agencies in a state, and are, in turn, procured from various manufacturers.

ANSWER: Only 1

Explanation:

• The declaration urges researchers and policy-makers to initiate, strengthen, and promote complementary conservation strategies to conserve and use agrobiodiversity including crop wild relatives in more dynamic way to ensure a continuum between ex situ, in situ and on farm conservation strategies to combat food and nutrition insecurity as well as adverse effects of climate change, land degradation and biodiversity loss.
• The declaration invites researchers to employ modern technologies including, but not limited to, genomic, space, computational, and nano-technologies for characterization, evaluation and trait discovery using genetic resources. The aim should be to achieve efficiency, equality, economy and environmental security in agricultural production systems and landscapes.
• The declaration makes no comment on organic farming or stopping use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.