Mod 2: Growth, Productivity and the Green Revolution
4A.2.1 The growth record — good years, bad years and negative years
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- School
- Class 10+2
- BPSC
- UPSC
- Name the years when agricultural GVA growth was negative.
- Name the years when foodgrain production fell.
- Explain why the Third Plan saw negative farm growth.
- Quote the latest growth rates (2022-23 prices).
Rainfall failed badly in 2002, 2009, 2014 and 2015. What do you expect to see in farm growth in those years?
Show answer
Negative or near-zero growth. Over half of India’s cropped area is still rain-dependent, so drought years show up as dips in farm output and in foodgrain production.
Every negative bar here is a drought or a war year. Match the bar to the PYQ.
| Year | Estimate | Agri & allied growth |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Revised | 2.6% |
| 2024-25 | 1st Revised Estimate | 4.3% |
| 2025-26 | 2nd Advance Estimate | 2.5% |
Source: NSO release of 27 February 2026 (new 2022-23 base).
📌 Solves: Q52 (2014-15) · Q53 (2002-03) · Q54 (1997-98)
CheckQuick check: Among 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, which year had negative agri growth?
2014-15 (−0.2%).
Production and GVA are different measures. A year can see GVA rise (thanks to livestock) while foodgrains fall.
| Year | Why |
|---|---|
| 2002-03 | Severe drought (output fell sharply) |
| 2004-05 | Weak monsoon — the answer to UPPCS 2008 |
| 2009-10 | Drought (monsoon deficit ≈ 22%) |
| 2012-13 | Uneven monsoon |
| 2014-15 | Deficient monsoon + unseasonal rain |
| 2015-16 | Second consecutive drought |
📌 Solves: Q51
CheckQuick check: Name two years in the last 15 years when foodgrain production fell.
Any two of 2009-10, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
The Third Plan (1961-66) was hit by two wars and two droughts.
📌 Solves: Q55
GVA series change base year (2004-05, 2011-12, now 2022-23) and estimates are revised. Learn the direction (negative/positive) and the latest official number.
1 markWhy does Indian farm output fall in drought years?
Much of the cropped area depends on monsoon rain.
3 marksWhy did agriculture grow negatively in the Third Plan?
Wars of 1962 and 1965, droughts of 1965 and 1966, dependence on rain, low use of modern inputs.
PYQ patternDuring which year was agri growth (constant prices) negative? (a) 2002-03 (b) 2003-04 (c) 2005-06 (d) 2006-07
(a) 2002-03.
Prelims1. Agri & allied grew 4.3% in 2024-25 (1st RE). 2. Agri growth was negative in 2014-15. Which is/are correct?
Both.
Q54 · Q55 · Q51 · Q53 · Q52
Arranged in chronological order of exam year in the Questions panel →
- Make a two-column table: drought year → effect on foodgrains.
- I know 2002-03, 2014-15 and 1997-98 as negative agri-growth years.
- I know 2004-05 as a negative foodgrain year.
- I know the Third Plan had negative growth.
- Negative agri GVA: 1997-98 (≈ −1%), 2002-03, 2014-15 (−0.2%).
- Foodgrains fell in 2004-05, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
- Third Plan (1961-66): ≈ −1% a year.
- Latest: 2.6% (2023-24), 4.3% (2024-25), 2.5% (2025-26).
- NSO press release, 27 Feb 2026.
- Ministry of Agriculture final estimates 2024-25; third AE 2025-26.
- NCERT Class 11 Indian Economic Development Ch 2.
- Negative agri growth: 1997-98 (≈ −1%), 2002-03, 2014-15 (−0.2%).
- Foodgrain fall years: 2004-05, 2009-10, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
- Third Five Year Plan: agriculture ≈ −1% per year.
- Agri & allied growth: 2.6% (2023-24), 4.3% (2024-25), 2.5% (2025-26).
- Question: In which Plan did agriculture register negative growth? Answer: Third Plan (1961-66).
- Question: Agri growth in 2014-15? Answer: −0.2%.
- Question: Agri growth 2024-25 (1st RE)? Answer: 4.3%.
MCQs — previous-year questions in exam-year order
Answer this question, then use Next.
PYQ · Q54 · U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 1998
In the year 1997-98, Indian agriculture and allied sectors has shown a negative growth of:
About -1% in 1997-98.
PYQ · Q55 · U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2004
Under which Five Year Plan, did agriculture register a negative growth?
Third Plan (1961-66) agri growth about -1.0% (wars 1962, 1965; droughts 1965-66).
PYQ · Q51 · U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2008
In which of the following years, foodgrains production had a negative growth rate?
Negative foodgrain growth in last 15 yrs: 2009-10, 2012-13, 2014-15, 2015-16.
PYQ · Q53 · 56th-59th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2015
During which year was the average annual growth rate (at constant prices) of agriculture and allied sectors negative?
2002-03 negative (drought year).
PYQ · Q52 · U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2017
In which of the following years, growth rate in agriculture and allied sector was negative?
2014-15: -0.2%. GVA agri growth (2022-23 prices): 2023-24 2.6%, 2024-25 (1st RE) 4.3%, 2025-26 (2nd AE) 2.5%.
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
In which Plan did agriculture register negative growth?
Third Plan (1961-66).Agri growth in 2014-15?
−0.2%.Agri growth 2024-25 (1st RE)?
4.3%.4A.2.2 Why productivity is low — and how to raise it
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- School
- Class 10+2
- BPSC
- UPSC
- List the causes of low productivity.
- List pathways to higher productivity.
- Explain why farm demand is inelastic and why bumper crops can hurt farmers.
- Explain organic farming and golden rice.
A record potato harvest arrives. Prices crash and farmers dump potatoes on the road. How can more output mean less income?
Show answer
Because demand for food is inelastic: people will not eat many more potatoes just because they are cheap. Price falls by a bigger % than quantity rises, so total revenue (P × Q) falls.
Think of it as a tree with many roots.
| Cause of low productivity | Not a cause |
|---|---|
| Population pressure on land | Co-operative farming — it pools land and inputs and raises productivity |
| Small, fragmented holdings | |
| Uncertain monsoon, weak irrigation | |
| Subsistence farming, disguised unemployment | |
| Declining soil fertility, low input use |
- Ram’s 0.8 ha is split into four scattered plots — a tractor wastes time moving between them, and a tube-well cannot serve all four.
📌 Solves: Q89
CheckQuick check: Is co-operative farming a cause of low productivity?
No — it usually raises productivity.
When BPSC gives you four correct choices and an “all of these/more than one” option, pick it.
💧 Efficient irrigation
🌱 Quality seeds
🧪 Fertilisers
🛡️ Pesticides
📌 Solves: Q88
Watch the steep demand curve. When supply jumps, price must fall a lot to clear the market.
Demand for most farm products is inelastic (|e| < 1). Consequences: price crashes in good years, so the state uses MSP, procurement and buffer stocks (Chapter 4B) to steady incomes.
📌 Solves: Q196
CheckQuick check: If price falls 20% and quantity demanded rises 5%, is demand elastic?
No. Elasticity = 5 ÷ 20 = 0.25 → inelastic.
Two short facts with long explanations.
| Idea | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Organic farming | No synthetic fertiliser or pesticide; compost, green manure, bone meal, crop rotation, companion planting | Less soil erosion and nitrate leaching; recycles animal waste — the eco-friendly choice in Q155 |
| Golden rice | Rice engineered to make beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A) in the grain | Fights vitamin-A deficiency where rice is the staple |
📌 Solves: Q155, Q195
In a bad harvest prices rise a lot and revenue can hold up; in a good harvest revenue falls. Overall it makes farm incomes unstable.
1 markGive two reasons for low farm productivity.
Small holdings; dependence on monsoon (also poor irrigation, low inputs).
3 marksWhy do farmers sometimes lose money in a bumper year?
Inelastic demand: price falls by more than output rises, so revenue falls.
PYQ patternGolden rice is rich in: (a) Vitamin A (b) B (c) D (d) E
(a).
MainsExplain the “paradox of plenty” in Indian agriculture. (100 words)
Inelastic food demand + supply shock → steep price fall → lower farm income; e.g., tomato/onion gluts. Remedies: storage, processing, exports, price stabilisation fund, MSP/PM-AASHA.
Q89 · Q155 · Q195 · Q196 · Q88
Arranged in chronological order of exam year in the Questions panel →
- Track tomato prices in your local market for a month and note what happens after a big arrival.
- I can list causes of low productivity.
- I can explain inelastic farm demand with a diagram.
- I know what golden rice contains.
- Causes: population pressure, small holdings, monsoon, low inputs, disguised unemployment.
- Co-operative farming is not a cause.
- Pathways: irrigation, seeds, fertiliser, pesticides — all.
- Farm demand inelastic → bumper crop lowers revenue.
- Organic = eco-friendly; golden rice = beta-carotene.
- NCERT Class 9 Economics Ch 1; Class 12 Microeconomics (elasticity).
- ICAR/NCOF — organic farming guidelines.
- Low productivity: population pressure, small holdings, monsoon dependence, subsistence farming, low inputs.
- Co-operative farming raises, not lowers, productivity.
- Demand for farm products is inelastic.
- Golden rice: beta-carotene (vitamin A precursor).
- Question: Golden rice is enriched with? Answer: Vitamin A (beta-carotene).
- Question: Demand for agricultural products is? Answer: Inelastic.
- Question: Which farming practice is eco-friendly? Answer: Organic farming.
MCQs — previous-year questions in exam-year order
Answer this question, then use Next.
PYQ · Q89 · U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2007; U.P.U.D.A./L.D.A. (Pre) 2002
Which of the following is not the reason for low productivity in Indian agriculture?
Reasons: population pressure, small holdings, uncertain monsoon, poor irrigation, subsistence farming, disguised unemployment, soil fertility decline, lack of resources.
PYQ · Q155 · U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2008
Which one of the following agriculture practices is eco-friendly?
PYQ · Q195 · U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2008
Golden rice has been made richer in -
Beta-carotene (provitamin A) by genetic engineering.
PYQ · Q196 · U.P. Lower Sub. (Pre) 2013
Demand of agricultural products is found to be:
Bumper crop -> price fall -> revenue loss.
PYQ · Q88 · 64th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2018
Which one of the following is the pathway to increase productivity in agriculture?
All four.
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Golden rice is enriched with?
Vitamin A (beta-carotene).Demand for agricultural products is?
Inelastic.Which farming practice is eco-friendly?
Organic farming.4A.2.3 The Green Revolution — seeds, water, fertiliser and its limits
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- School
- Class 10+2
- BPSC
- UPSC
- Name the people and places of the Green Revolution.
- Describe it as seed–fertiliser–water technology.
- Explain who gained and the criticisms.
- Know what the Second Green Revolution did and did not include.
In 1966 India imported grain under PL-480. By the 1970s it no longer needed bulk imports. What changed in between?
Show answer
HYV seeds of wheat (and later rice), with chemical fertiliser and assured irrigation, raised yields sharply in irrigated north-west India — the Green Revolution.
Five names, one university.
| Name / place | Role |
|---|---|
| Norman E. Borlaug (USA) | “Father of the Green Revolution” in the world; Nobel Peace Prize 1970; dwarf Mexican wheat |
| Dr M.S. Swaminathan | Father of the Green Revolution in India |
| C. Subramaniam | Union Agriculture Minister who pushed the HYV strategy |
| Indira Gandhi | Prime Minister backing the programme |
| Rafi Ahmed Kidwai | Food minister of the early 1950s — not linked with the Green Revolution |
| Pantnagar | UP Agricultural University (now G.B. Pant Univ. of Agriculture & Technology) — “birthplace” of the Green Revolution |
📌 Solves: Q148, Q149, Q150
The HYV seed is the engine, but it needs fuel — fertiliser — and coolant — water.
📌 Solves: Q151
The revolution was real but narrow.
| Aspect | Reality |
|---|---|
| Regions | Punjab, Haryana and western UP (irrigated) gained most; eastern India and dryland areas lagged |
| Crops | Mostly wheat, later rice; coarse grains and pulses neglected |
| Farmers | Large farmers with water and credit gained more |
| Consumers | Food prices kept rising (MSP-led); poor people’s incomes rose slowly |
- Third Plan crisis and droughts
- Dwarf Mexican wheat seeds imported
- HYV programme from Kharif 1966
- Self-sufficiency, imports stop
- Second Green Revolution idea (2006)
Crisis → seeds → programme → self-sufficiency → second revolution.
📌 Solves: Q152, Q153
The Prime Minister’s 2006 call focused on what comes after the harvest.
| Included | Not included |
|---|---|
| Help farmers join global agri trade | Encouraging FDI in agriculture |
| Reduce post-harvest waste | |
| Better storage |
- Bringing Green Revolution to Eastern India (BGREI, from 2010-11) targets rice in Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, eastern UP, West Bengal, Assam and Chhattisgarh.
📌 Solves: Q154
Yes: groundwater depletion in Punjab–Haryana, soil nutrient imbalance, pesticide residues. That is why today’s schemes stress water efficiency and soil health.
1 markWho is called the father of the Green Revolution in India?
Dr M.S. Swaminathan.
3 marksWhy did the Green Revolution benefit only some regions?
It needed assured irrigation, fertiliser and credit, available mainly in Punjab, Haryana, western UP.
PYQ patternNature of the Green Revolution of the late 1960s: (a) green vegetables (b) IADP (c) HYV programme (d) seed–fertiliser–water technology
(d).
MainsEvaluate the Green Revolution in India. (150 words)
Gains: food self-sufficiency, higher incomes in irrigated areas, end of PL-480. Limits: regional and crop bias, inequality, ecological costs (water, soil). Way forward: eastern India, pulses/millets, water-efficient farming.
Q152 · Q149 · Q150 · Q153 · Q154 · Q148 · Q151
Arranged in chronological order of exam year in the Questions panel →
- Mark Punjab, Haryana and western UP on a map; shade the main Green Revolution belt.
- I can name Borlaug, Swaminathan, Subramaniam and Pantnagar.
- I can explain seed–fertiliser–water technology.
- I can list who gained and the criticisms.
- World father: Borlaug (Nobel Peace 1970); India: M.S. Swaminathan.
- Started from Kharif 1966; Pantnagar = birthplace.
- Seed–fertiliser–water technology.
- Gainers: Punjab, Haryana, western UP; wheat-focused.
- Second GR: trade, storage, post-harvest — not FDI.
- NCERT Class 11 Indian Economic Development Ch 2.
- G.B. Pant University history; Nobel Foundation (1970).
- Borlaug = world father; M.S. Swaminathan = Indian father; C. Subramaniam = agriculture minister.
- Began Kharif 1966; Pantnagar called birthplace.
- Nature: seed–fertiliser–water technology.
- Beneficiaries: Punjab, Haryana, western UP.
- Question: Father of Green Revolution in the world? Answer: Norman E. Borlaug.
- Question: Green Revolution in India started from? Answer: Pantnagar (UP Agricultural University).
- Question: Which states benefited most? Answer: Punjab, Haryana and western UP.
MCQs — previous-year questions in exam-year order
Answer this question, then use Next.
PYQ · Q152 · I.A.S. (Pre) 1994
Self-sufficiency in food, in the true sense of freedom from hunger, has not been achieved in India inspite of a more than three-fold rise in foodgrains production over 1950-1990. Which of the following are the reasons for it? 1. The green revolution has been restricted to small pockets of the country. 2. The cost of food is too high compared to the earnings of the poor. 3. Too much emphasis is laid on wheat and paddy compared to the coarse grains. 4. The gains of the green revolution have largely accrued to the cash crop rather than food crops.
PYQ · Q149 · M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2006
Indian Green Revolution started from:
From 1966; GB Pant Univ. of Agri & Technology, Pantnagar = birthplace.
PYQ · Q150 · M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2006
Who was the person not associated with the green revolution when its started in India?
PYQ · Q153 · U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2008
Which States of India have derived maximum benefits from green revolution?
Started with Kharif 1966.
PYQ · Q154 · U.P.P.C.S. (Spl.) (Mains) 2008
The Second Green Revolution proposed by the Prime Minister does not include:
PYQ · Q148 · U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2015
Father of Green Revolution in the World is:
Nobel Peace 1970; India: M.S. Swaminathan.
PYQ · Q151 · 64th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2018
Which one of the following most appropriately describes the nature of Green Revolution of late sixties of 20th century?
HYV seeds + fertilisers + irrigation (+ machinery, pesticides).
One-liners
Write your answer, then submit to see the correct answer.
Father of Green Revolution in the world?
Norman E. Borlaug.Green Revolution in India started from?
Pantnagar (UP Agricultural University).Which states benefited most?
Punjab, Haryana and western UP.