MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS
Q1. Discuss the difficulties that sugarcane farmers have recently faced. What steps may be made to deal with these issues?
GS III – Indian Agriculture
Introduction:
- A vital crop for the nation’s economy, sugarcane makes for 10% of all agricultural production. India surpassed Brazil to become the world’s leading producer of sugar in 2021–2022. In addition, the nation consumes the most sugar globally. Exports have increased as a result of favourable legislative initiatives to encourage farmers to grow surplus sugarcane, setting a record of 110 lakh tonnes exported in 2021–2022. Farmers who grow sugarcane still have a lot of obstacles to overcome.
The following are obstacles that sugarcane farmers must overcome:
- Water availability: Top-growing states receive only 1,000–1,200 mm of rainfall annually, despite sugarcane being a water-intensive crop that needs 3,000 mm of rainfall. Because of this, there are worries about groundwater depletion in these states because they mainly rely on groundwater for irrigation.
- High Investment: The cultivation of sugarcane involves a significant financial outlay for farmers, who must prepare the fields by tilling, levelling, and preparing the soil in order to plant sugarcane. Additional high labour costs during the cutting season have a detrimental effect on farmers that grow sugarcane.
- Overproduction: One of the most lucrative cash crops for farmers in the majority of India is sugarcane. As a result, during the 2021–22 season, India produced record amounts of sugarcane—over 5,000 million tonnes. Farmers now pay more for storage and shipping as a result of this. Moreover, sugar mills are having difficulty paying farmers what they owe.
- Low Sugarcane output: Compared to other of the major sugarcane-producing countries in the world, India’s output per hectare is extremely low. For instance, India produces only 64.5 tons/hectare, compared to 121 tonnes in Hawaii and 90 tonnes in Java.
- Problems with the cane reservation area: Under the terms of the arrangement, mills that are designated as such are required to buy from cane farmers inside their specified cane reservation area, and farmers are required to sell to the mills within that specific area. Farmers’ ability to bargain with mill owners for higher prices has suffered as a result.
- Impacts of the climate: India experienced an intense heatwave in 2022, marking the hottest March in the previous 122 years. The quality of the sugarcane juice and the finished sugar product as a whole are both negatively impacted by intense heat or extreme cold. Over 35°C to 40°C temperatures cause the sugarcane crop to develop more slowly and produce less in total.
- Low Sugar Recovery Rate: India’s average rate of recovering sugar from sugarcane is less than 10%, which is extremely low when compared to other major countries that produce sugar.
The following actions can be made to address the aforementioned difficulties:
- Changing to less resource-intensive incentive crops: Analysing and then adjusting incentives that favour sugarcane over other crops would be a better and more sustainable approach. A fair and thorough crop subsidy programme can assist farmers in diversifying their crops, distributing cultivation equally, avoiding monocultures, and guaranteeing a fair income.
- Encouraging mechanisation: Given the high manpower costs, mechanisation in sugarcane fields should be encouraged by the government providing subsidies for the purchase of machinery to plant sugarcane stems and to harvest and de-weed them. Farmers can rent them in the village once they’re available, just like they can with tractors and crushing machines.
- Production of sugarcane that is environmentally sustainable: To address the problem over time, emphasis should be placed on encouraging agricultural techniques such drip irrigation. Drip irrigation can save up to 70% of the water used in flood irrigation by allowing water to drip gently and directly to the roots of sugarcane plants.
- Applying the recommendations of the Rangarajan Committee: The Committee suggested that states gradually phase down cane reservation areas and bonding and promote the creation of long-term contractual arrangements based on the market. Farmers would have the freedom to choose which mill to sell their produce to thanks to these customised contracts.
- Conversion of excess sugar to ethanol: Under the Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) Programme, Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are allowed to sell petrol that has been up to 10% blended with ethanol. Ethanol production from surplus sugar will increase liquidity and stop the decline in sugar prices.
- The Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative, the Ethanol Blending Programme, and Fair and Remunerative Prices (FRP) are just a few of the steps the government has taken to safeguard the interests of sugarcane farmers. However, tackling the problems faced by sugarcane growers holistically will require addressing structural concerns and introducing long-term solutions.
Q2. What are Essential Minerals? Give some insight into the importance of essential minerals for a nation’s development.
GS III – Indian Economy related issues
Introduction:
- When a mineral’s supply shortfall risk and the ensuing economic impact are larger than those of other raw resources, the mineral is classified as essential. These minerals are necessary for a nation’s economic growth and security on the international stage. The scarcity of these minerals or their concentration in a small number of geographic areas for processing or extraction could create vulnerabilities in the supply chain or possibly cause an interruption in supplies. Thirty essential minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, graphite, tin, and copper, have recently been recognised by the government. These minerals will be essential to the expansion and advancement of the economy’s many sectors.
Elements influencing criticality:
Critical minerals are important for the growth and development of a nation because they include:
- Economic significance: Essential minerals are important to many different areas of the economy. This covers industries including semiconductors, advanced manufacturing inputs, information and communication technology, and materials used in defence, ceramics, permanent magnets, and other materials.
- Transition to electric vehicles: The demand for vital minerals like cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements is skyrocketing due to the quick increase in the use of electric vehicles. By 2030, the government wants to see 30% of private automobile sales, 70% of commercial vehicles, and 80% of two- and three-wheelers be electric. Thus, reaching these goals requires a steady supply of essential minerals.
- Boosting self-reliance: The government’s Made in India, Smart City, Atmanirbhar Bharat, 100 GW renewable energy target, and Production Linked Incentive (PLI) plans are expected to dramatically increase India’s demand for essential minerals. Achieving these objectives will require critical minerals in large amounts.
- Clean energy technologies: It’s critical to expand component manufacturing operations for solar panels, wind turbines, and other components as India works to develop these technologies domestically. In light of this, essential minerals are important for fulfilling the “Net Zero” goal and making the shift to an economy with lower carbon emissions.
- Building supply chains: India’s competitive value chains will only be possible if mineral wealth is found and areas of its potential are identified through the application of cutting-edge technologies.
- Reducing reliance on imports: By identifying and exploring essential minerals, the nation may better prepare for the purchase and protection of these mineral assets while keeping in mind its long-term needs. This will further lessen India’s reliance on imports, as the country is entirely dependent on imports from China, Russia, Australia, South Africa, and the United States for the supply of vital minerals including tantalum, lithium, cobalt, nickel, niobium, beryllium, and nickel.
- National security: Because critical minerals can carry out intricate tasks and endure harsh environments, they are essential for use in space, defence, aerospace, and nuclear applications. They are also crucial for attaining self-reliance in the defence industry and guaranteeing defence readiness.
- India has thus turned its attention to crucial minerals as a result of realising that two processes must occur simultaneously for the country to experience future economic progress. The first is raising living standards and locating production in key industries; the second is increasing investment in sustainable growth, energy, and lifestyle models by concentrating on decarbonization.
