Consider the following statements : 1. The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds. 2. Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop. 3. Some tribal people in India use niger seed oil for cooking. How many of the above statements are correct?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All three ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) None
Why the answer is (c)
• Niger (ramtil) is a minor oilseed grown mainly by tribal farmers on marginal hill soils in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
• Statement 1 is correct: niger seed is among the 22 crops for which the Government announces a Minimum Support Price each year (it had the highest kharif MSP in 2023–24).
• Statement 2 is correct: it is sown with the monsoon and harvested in autumn — a kharif crop.
• Statement 3 is correct: tribal communities use niger oil for cooking and the cake as cattle feed; the seed is also exported as birdseed.
• Hence all three, option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- All three statements about niger are correct.
- (b) Only two
- MSP, kharif season and tribal use are all correct, making three.
- (d) None
- Each statement is accurate.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2023, held on 28 May 2023. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.