14 July 2023

MAINS DAILY QUESTIONS & MODEL ANSWERS

Q1. How has the government improved millet output in India through its many initiatives? Re-planting of millet has increased as a result of climate change.

Paper & Topic: GS III – Environmental Conservation

• The kind and qualities of a region’s vegetation and crops are influenced by its climate, making the agricultural sector particularly vulnerable to climate change. A region’s agricultural output, food security, and nutritional stability are all being impacted by climate change. Due to this, research is required to find crops that can tolerate high temperatures, unpredictable rainfall, and protracted drought.

Millets are therefore promoted for cultivation for the following factors:

• Millets are once more being grown as a crop due to its adaptability and ability to thrive in a variety of agro-climate regions, withstand extreme heat and drought, and withstand temperatures as high as 46 degrees Celsius.
• Millets may be produced on marginal soils and grazing areas, need less water, have a lower carbon footprint per hectare than wheat and rice, and grow well in desert conditions as rain-fed crops.
• Millets are known as “famine reserves” because of their short growth season and ability to be stored for at least two years. Because they are frequently grown utilizing organic agricultural methods, they are also economical to maintain.
• Due to their non-glutinous nature, high antioxidant content, and abundance in macro- and micronutrients including calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, protein, and essential amino acids, millets constitute a vital nutritional source.
• In areas where soil erosion is a problem, the fibrous roots of millet plants assist to conserve soil, enhance soil quality, and regulate water runoff, ultimately reestablishing natural ecosystems. This makes millets an excellent crop for intercropping with other crops.

Given the benefits that millet crops provide, the government has put in place a number of measures to promote millet production, such as:

• With the launch of the Initiative for Nutritional Security via Intensive Millet Promotion (INSIMP) in 2011–12, the initial steps toward increasing millet consumption and production for nutritional security in India were taken.
• Declaring 2018 the National Year of Millets: The government declared 2018 the National Year of Millets and started the Millet Mission as part of the National Food Security Mission.
• Since 2018–19, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) has been carrying out a Sub-Mission on Nutri-Cereals (Millets) under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) in 212 Districts of 14 States to promote millets.
• Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry for Millet-based Products: The Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI) has approved the PLISMBP, or Production Linked Incentive Scheme for Food Processing Industry for Millet-based Products, for implementation from 2022–2026.
• The Agri-Infrastructure Fund Scheme, which offers interest discounts on loans up to $2 crore for the creation of primary millet processing units, is another program that the government is enticing farmers, FPOs, and businesses to apply for.
• To encourage farmers to plant millet, an increase in the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) for Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi has been announced.
• In addition, the government has approved the inclusion of “nutri-cereals” in the Public Distribution System (PDS) and Mid-Day Meal programs.
• There is a need to promote and strengthen the value chain for millets and millet-based products as the UN has designated 2023 as the International Year of Millets. Millets and millet-based products have enormous potential in our fights against poverty and climate change as they offer food, nutrition, fodder, and livelihood security.

Q2. Explain the PM PRANAM scheme’s main components and the importance of each to the Indian agricultural sector.

Paper & Topic: GS II – Government Policies and Interventions

• PM PRANAM, which stands for PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Generation, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth, is a new initiative by the central government. The program’s major objective is to promote the wise use of fertilizers. The overuse of chemical fertilizers has resulted in an imbalanced application of nutrients and a loss in crop production response.

Important PM PRANAM Scheme features include:

• The funding for the program will come from “savings of existing fertiliser subsidy” through initiatives overseen by the Department of Fertilizers rather than from a separate budget.
• A reward in the amount of 50% of the subsidy savings will be given to the state that saves money.
• States are permitted to use 70% of the program’s grant funds to create assets related to the manufacture of alternative fertilizers and the adoption of alternative fertilizer technology at the block, village, and district levels.
• States may utilize the remaining 30% of the award money to give financial incentives to panchayats, farmer producer organizations, farmers, and self-help groups that promote fertilizer conservation.
• The government will use information from the iFMS (Integrated Fertilizers Management System), a dashboard for the fertilizer ministry, to compare a state’s increase or decrease in urea use in a given year to its average consumption over the previous three years.

The significance of the PM PRANAM Scheme to the agriculture sector is demonstrated by the following:  

Reducing the use of chemical fertilizers:

• Due to the negative health effects of excessive exposure, the program specifically aims to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, especially urea. Excessive urea use on crops has a negative impact on the soil, crop quality, and overall ecosystem in addition to encouraging pest and insect attacks.

Response to environmental pollution:

• This strategy will save the environment against chemical fertilizers, which wreak havoc on aquatic life, contribute to water pollution, and cause algae blooms.

Improved soil health:

• With less artificial fertilizer use, Indian agriculture will be more productive and produce more, which could gradually enhance the quality of the soil.

The ideal subsidy for fertilizer:

• The demand for four fertilizers—urea, DAP (di-ammonium phosphate), MOP (muriate of potash), and NPKS (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium)—increased by 21% between 2017–2018 and 2021–2022, prompting the government to increase the subsidies it provides for chemical fertilizers. The subsidy’s savings can be put toward improving agricultural technology.

Using fertilizers wisely:

• While the ideal ratio for applying nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N:P:K) to agricultural soil is 4:2:1, Punjab has a ratio of 31.4:8:1, which is tilted toward nitrogen. Problems resulting from this imbalance include stagnant or declining productivity as well as soil illness, soil alkalinity, and soil salinity. The plan aims to deal with this problem.

Encouraging the use of organic manure and bio-fertilizers:

• Bio-fertilizers and organic manure have a far lower environmental impact than synthetic fertilizers. In addition to enhancing organic soil carbon and supporting soil microbial activity, which are critical for healthy soil and plants, organic fertilizers also supply vital plant nutrients.
• The PM PRANAM program, which could revolutionize the agricultural industry by promoting natural farming, lowering the need for subsidies, and increasing yields, is being implemented in an effort by the government to balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability.