I. Agriculture Syllabus (GS Paper III)
- Cropping Patterns: Major crops and patterns across various agro-climatic zones.
- Irrigation Systems: Types of irrigation (drip, sprinkler, canal), water-use efficiency, and watershed management.
- Agricultural Marketing: Transport, storage, and marketing of produce; e-technology in the aid of farmers (e-NAM).
- Farm Subsidies & MSP: Issues related to direct/indirect subsidies, Minimum Support Price, and WTO constraints.
- Food Security & PDS: Public Distribution System (functioning, revamping), buffer stocks, and technology missions.
- Economics of Animal Rearing: Role of livestock in the rural economy and associated government missions.
- Land Reforms: Rationale, impact, and recent digital modernization of land records.
II. Food Processing & Related Industries Syllabus
- Scope & Significance: Contribution to GVA (8.8% in manufacturing), employment, and rural income.
- Location Factors: Determinants of industrial location and cluster-based development.
- Supply Chain Management: Upstream and downstream requirements, cold chain infrastructure, and logistics.
- Government Initiatives: Mega Food Parks, PM Kisan SAMPADA Yojana (PMKSY), and PMFME.
III. Latest Current Affairs Linked (2025–2026)
- Viksit Bharat@2047 Targets: India’s food processing sector projected to reach US$ 535 billion by the end of FY26.
- Record Production: India achieved a record foodgrain production of 357.73 million tonnes in 2024–25, with a target of 354.64 MT set for 2025–26.
- Rice Export Surge: In 2025, India lifted export curbs on non-basmati rice, leading to a 19.4% rise in shipments to 21.55 million metric tonnes.
- New Policies & Missions:
- Pesticides Management Bill 2025: Overhauling pesticide governance and safety standards.
- World Food India 2025: Secured MoUs worth over ₹1 lakh crore for food processing investments.
- SPICED Scheme: Launched by the National Turmeric Board to boost exports.
- PLI Scheme Extension: The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) for food processing continues through 2026-27 with an outlay of ₹10,900 crore.
- Recent Infrastructure (Jan 2026):
- UAE-India agreement to establish a food processing cluster in Andhra Pradesh.
- Announcement of 100 new NABL-accredited food testing labs for 2025–26.
- Sustainability Focus: Ethanol blending reached 19.05% as of July 2025; expansion of solar pump installations under PM-KUSUM.
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