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QUESTION 17
GS1
15 marks

From being net food importer in 1960s, India has emerged as a net food exporter to the world. Provide reasons.

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11 min
250 words
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What the examiner wants

Give the reasons that turned India from a food-aid importer in the 1960s into a net food exporter.

Give reasonsAnswer exactly what the question asks.

Demand-wise check

  1. 1Starting point: drought years of 1965–66 and dependence on US PL-480 wheat≈50 words
  2. 2Green Revolution: high-yielding seeds, irrigation, fertiliser, credit, led by M.S. Swaminathan and C. Subramaniam≈50 words
  3. 3Institutions: MSP and procurement through FCI (1965), Agricultural Prices Commission, ICAR and state agricultural universities≈50 words
  4. 4Diversification and trade: White Revolution, horticulture, fisheries, liberalised exports after 1991 and WTO access≈50 words

Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.

Answer plan

1960s crisisTechnologyInstitutionsDiversificationExport performance with dataCaveats (nutrition, groundwater)Conclusion

Where marks usually go

  • Stopping at 'Green Revolution' without institutions and diversification
  • Not mentioning the costs: groundwater depletion and regional imbalance

Draw this

  • Timeline: 1966 PL-480 → 1967 HYV wheat → 1970 Operation Flood → today's rice export lead

Value addition

  • DataIndia has been the world's largest rice exporter for over a decade, with about 40% of global rice trade in recent years.APEDA / USDA trade data
  • InstitutionFood Corporation of India (1965) and the Agricultural Prices Commission (1965) gave farmers price assurance through MSP.Food Corporations Act, 1964

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