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General Studies 2025 GS Paper III 10 marks 150 words Compulsory Explain

GS Paper III — Q3

Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. (Answer in 150 words)…

Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. (Answer in 150 words) 10 marks

हिंदी में प्रश्न पढ़ें

भारत में किसानों द्वारा उच्च मूल्य वाली फसलों के चयन के निर्णय को प्रभावित करने वाले कारकों की व्याख्या कीजिए। (उत्तर 150 शब्दों में दीजिए)

Q3 of the 2025 UPSC Mains General Studies GS Paper III, as printed
The question as printed in the 2025 General Studies paper
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Model answer

Written by UPSC Answer Check against this question's marking rubric, to the 150-word length. UPSC does not publish answers for Mains — this is one way to score well, not an official key.

High-Value Crops (HVCs) like fruits, vegetables, and spices offer higher net returns per hectare, but farmers’ adoption depends on interconnected structural factors.

Economic and Capital Realities: While HVCs yield lucrative input-output ratios, high price volatility and lack of open-ended MSP elevate market risk compared to staple cereals. Furthermore, substantial initial capital requirements make credit availability through Kisan Credit Cards (KCC) decisive.

Agro-Ecological Suitability: Soil health, water access, and climate resilience drive crop choices, seen in niche crops like saffron in Kashmir, vanilla in the Western Ghats, and protected exotic vegetables in water-secure zones.

Infrastructure and Market Access: Due to high perishability, proximity to urban consumption centers, integrated cold chains, processing units, and APEDA-backed export zones determines economic viability.

Institutional Support and Policy Push: Diversification missions in water-stressed regions like Punjab-Haryana, supported by contract farming under APMC reforms, extension awareness, and yield protection under PMFBY, actively catalyze transition.

Strengthening post-harvest logistics and farmer collectives will sustain this transition toward resilient, export-oriented, and organic high-value agriculture.

What "Explain" is asking you to do

Make the working of something clear — what sets it off, what follows from what, and what it produces. Explain is the Commission's mechanism word: it dominates the technical papers and the “explain why” stems, where the marks sit in the causal chain and not in the label.

Structure that answers it

State what it is → the initiating condition → the chain of cause, step by step → an instance where it plays out → what the chain produces

Where marks are lost

Describing what something looks like instead of why it works that way. Naming the stages without linking them reads as description too.

All UPSC directive words, compared →

How this answer will be evaluated

Approach

Framework: Situation > Analysis > Measures: legal, institutional, developmental > Assessment. explain: definition/context > points in order > small example > short close Full marks: Identifies 4-5 distinct factors with specific examples/schemes and clear logic.

Key points expected

  • Define high value crops (HVCs) or give examples (horticulture, spices, floriculture).
  • Explain market demand and price signals as a primary driver.
  • Discuss the role of irrigation availability and water security.
  • Mention government support (MSP, subsidies, or schemes) or infrastructure (cold chain).

Evaluation rubric

Each sub-part is marked on its own, against the marks and word limit printed on the paper.

  1. The answer Definition of high value crops and the specific factors influencing their selection by Indian farmers. 10 marks · 150 words

    explain— definition/context → points in order → small example → short close

    Must cover

    • Define high value crops (HVCs) or give examples (horticulture, spices, floriculture).
    • Explain market demand and price signals as a primary driver.
    • Discuss the role of irrigation availability and water security.
    • Mention government support (MSP, subsidies, or schemes) or infrastructure (cold chain).

    Loses marks

    • Generic agricultural factors not specific to high value crops.
    • Focusing only on MSP without mentioning market dynamics.
    • Ignoring the risk factor (perishability, climate sensitivity).

    Earns more

    • Reference to specific schemes (e.g., PMKSY, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture).
    • Mention of climate change or weather risk as a limiting factor.
    • Discussion of land fragmentation or small landholdings.
    • Reference to agri-entrepreneurship or contract farming.

    Extra mark

    • Cite a specific statistic on HVC growth or export value.
    • Mention a specific state's success in HVCs (e.g., Punjab, Haryana, or Kerala).

Practice this exact question

Write your answer and it is marked point by point against the model answer above — what you covered, what you missed, what you got wrong.

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