Agriculture Current Affairs Part 4 – NABARD Grade A / ICAR / UPSC – Free PDF Download

Q1) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers’ income. Who will head this committee?

1. Ramesh Chand
2. Narendra Singh Tomar
3. Devendra Fadnavis
4. Nitesh Kumar

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has constituted a high-powered committee of chief ministers for the transformation of agriculture and raising farmers’ income.
• The 9 member committee is headed by Devendra Fadnavis, the CM of Maharashtra. The committee will suggest policy measures, attract investments and raise growth in food processing.
• The remaining members of the committee are Chief Ministers of Karnataka, Haryana, Arunachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, (Union Agriculture, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Narendra Singh Tomar) and NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand

Q2. ) Which state has achieved first rank in NITI Aayog launched “Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI)?

1. Gujarat
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Uttar Pradesh
4. Maharashtra

• Maharashtra achieved first rank in NITI Aayog launched “Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms Index (AMFFRI), which ranks states based on the degree of reforms they have undertaken in agricultural marketing.
• Gujarat ranks second with a score of 71.5 out of 100, closely followed by Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh

Q3. ) Government of India has signed an MoU with which IT company to use AI in agriculture?

1. Microsoft
2. Wipro
3. IBM
4. Infosys

• Government of India has signed a MoU with IBM India to use AI in agriculture. Under the pact, IBM will undertake a pilot study to utilise Artificial Intelligence (AI) and weather technology solutions in agriculture in one district each in three states.
• The agreement was signed in the presence of Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and junior minister Kailash Choudhary, and other senior officials.
• The pilot study will be conducted for the Kharif crop season 2019 in three districts namely Bhopal, Rajkot and Nanded, in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra, respectively

Q4. )Which state Government has launched a portal named ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’?

1. Punjab
2. Rajasthan
3. Haryana
4. Bihar

• The Haryana Government has launched a portal named ‘Meri Fasal Mera Byora’ for farmers to directly avail crop related benefits of state government schemes after self reporting their land and crop-related details.
• The farmers who will register on the portal will get financial incentive of Rs 10 per acre or part thereof, subject to minimum of Rs 20 and maximum of Rs 50. This amount will be directly deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers.
• Farmers can register through Common Service Centres (CSCs) or Atal Seva Kendras from July 5 till July 31. CSCs will get an incentive of Rs 5 per farmer entry.

Q5. ) Under Rythu Bharosa scheme of Andhra Pradesh, each farmer would be given an annual grant of Rs _______ to meet input costs?

1. Rs 5000
2. Rs 7,500
3. Rs 12,500
4. Rs 10,000

• The Andhra Pradesh government has announced that its ‘YSR Rythu Bharosa’ Scheme will now also be extended to tenant farmers.
• Earlier the scheme did not cover tenant farmer. There is a limit that the scheme is applicable to farmers with land area less than 5 acres.
• It will offer investment support of Rs. 12,500 per annum per farmer.

Q6. )PepsiCo India will invest nearly ₹500 crore to build a food manufacturing plant in which state?

1. Gujarat
2. Rajasthan
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Uttar Pradesh

• PepsiCo India will invest nearly ₹500 crore to build a food manufacturing plant in Uttar Pradesh.
• It will invest $2.1 bn in India by 2022, which is part of the $5.5 bn it had promised in November 2013.
• It is part of PepsiCo’s efforts to expand capacity in India’s growing packaged foods market

Q7. )Veeba foods has appointed whom as the brand Ambassador for its new brand “V-Nourish“?

1. Salman Khan
2. Shahrukh Khan
3. Akshay Kumar
4. Hrithik Roshan

• Popular consumer brand, Veeba foods make inroads into a nutrition segment with its new brand V- Nourish.
•  A nutrition supplement for kids above 5 years appoints Shah Rukh Khan as its Brand Ambassador.

Q8. )World Food Safety Day was observed?

1. June 7
2. June 8
3. June 6
4. June 5

• The first ever celebration of the United Nations World Food Safety Day, to be marked globally on 7 June, aims to strengthen efforts to ensure that the food we eat is safe.
• World Food Safety Day 2019’s theme is food safety is everyone’s business
• Unsafe food also hinders development in many low- and middle-income economies, which lose around US$ 95 billion in productivity associated with illness, disability, and premature death suffered by workers.

Q9. )Which city will organize the World Food India from 1st November 2019?

1. Mumbai
2. Gurugram
3. New Delhi
4. Shimla

Q10. )Which country has extended its ban on food products from the European Union up to 31 December 2020?

1. China
2. Russia
3. Serbia
4. United States

Q11. ) India’s first Orchidarium was opened in which state?

1. Manipur
2. Sikkim
3. Meghalaya
4. Tripura

• The first Orchidarium in India was opened for tourists at Upper Shillong in Meghalaya.
• The 6000 square feet state of the art orchidarium is unique and is the only kind in the country having climate controlled system and displays several species of orchids.
• Orchidarium was made functional by the Institute of Bio-resources and Sustainable Development (IBSD), an autonomous institute of Department of Biotechnology under the Ministry of Science and Technology within a record time of 3 months.
•  North-east India houses about 900 species of orchids while Meghalaya houses 439 species

Q12. ) WHO has collaborated with the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to eliminate industrially produced trans fat (iTFA) from food supply worldwide by which year?

1. 2024
2. 2023
3. 2025
4. 2022

• WHO (World Health organization) collaborated with the International Food and Beverage Alliance (IFBA) to eliminate industrially produced trans fat (iTFA) from food supply worldwide by 2023.
• Trans fat-intake leads to coronary heart disease, due to which globally 5,00,000 deaths occur every year.
• Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO
• WHO’s mission ”REPLACE”

Q13.) According to a recent study Fishing and coral reef degradation has threatened which fish species in Andaman ?

1. Bumphead Parrotfish
2. Green Jobfish
3. Indian Carp
4. Tilapia

• Fishing, coral reef degradation threaten parrotfish in Andaman
• Protection of coral cover along the existing protected marine areas in the Andaman and Nicobar islands is necessary for conservation of the endangered bumphead parrotfish
• Bumphead parrotfish, Bolbometopon muricatum, is an important component of coral reef ecosystem, but is highly endangered globally.
•  It is categorized as ‘vulnerable’ in the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
• This fish is highly prized resource, but is threatened due to limited knowledge about its distribution and abundance in Indian waters

Q14. International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing?

1. June 5
2. June 6
3. June 8
4. June 9

• International day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing – June 5
• The first International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing was celebrated for the first time on 5 June 2018, with FAO as the lead agency for the new international day.

Q15. ) According to Fisheries Department India is the second largest fish producing country in the world as it accounts for ___________per cent of the global fish production?

1. 7 %
2. 5.7%
3. 6.3%
4. 5.9 %

• India is the second largest fish producing country in the world as it accounts for 6.3 per cent of the global fish production, a release by the Fisheries Department said. It also said the fisheries sector in the country is growing at the rate of 7 per cent, sustaining 14.5 million fishermen
• There is a huge potential in harnessing tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
•  30 per cent of the Indian EEZ is spread across the Andaman, Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, but only 1 per cent comprises production of tuna fish.
• Fisheries is a sun rise sector in India, considering the commercially viable global tuna market which stood at USD 11.38 billion in 2017 and is projected to reach USD 13.75 billion by 2023.

Q16. ) The central government has given State/UT Government a deadline for implementing the ‘one nation, one ration card’ system by which year?

1. March 30, 2021
2. April 30, 2022
3. Feb 29, 2020
4. June 30, 2020

• The central government has given State/UT Government a deadline of June 30, 2020 for implementing the ‘one nation, one ration card’ system.
• Under the scheme, the beneficiary can buy subsidised foodgrains from ration shops in any part of the country.
• Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said already 10 states —Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharasthra, Rajasthan, Telangana and Tripura — are providing portability of Public Distribution System (PDS) entitlements

Q17. )Which country has resumed commercial hunting of whales after 30 years?

1. Japan
2. South Korea
3. China
4. United States

• Japan resumes commercial whaling after 30 years
• Japanese fishermen have set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades after Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission.
• Japan has banned commercial hunts since 1988 but allowed for research whaling, which some criticize as a cover, since the meat was sold on the marke

Q18. )Narendra Singh Tomar has launched a Coffee Table Book to commemorate 50 years of partnership with which organization?

1. UN World Food Programme
2. UN Development Programme
3. World Trade Organization
4. UN High Commissioner for Refugees

Q19. ) Which state will soon produce its own seeds under the brand name ‘Sah-Beej’?

1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Rajasthan
3. Bihar
4. Madhya Pradesh

Q20. ) India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaranya was established in which district of Madya Pradesh (MP)?

1. Gwalior
2. Agar Malwa
3. Seoni
4. Raisen

• India’s first cow sanctuary Kamdhenu Gau Abhyaranya in Agar Malwa, Madya Pradesh (MP), set up in September 2017, will be privatised due to financial crises.
• It was developed by the MP Gau Samvardhan Board by spending about Rs 32 crore.
• Around 4,000 cows are living in the sanctuary spread across 472 hectares and in 2018, more than 600 cows had died due to extreme weather condition

Q21. )An Agri-Business Incubation Centre has been started in which state?

1. Madhya Pradesh
2. Jharkhand
3. Karnataka
4. Chhattisgarh

• An Agri Business Incubation Centre has started in Chhattisgarh.
• The centre has been set up by the Union Agriculture Ministry in Indira Gandhi Agriculture University of Raipur.
• Agri Business Incubation Centre is set up under the National Agriculture Development Scheme- RAFTAAR.
• The objective of the scheme is to make farming a remunerative economic activity by strengthening farmer’s effort, risk mitigation and promoting agribusiness entrepreneurship.
• Under the scheme, guidance, technology and infrastructure will be provided to youth and entrepreneurs for start-ups in different areas of agriculture.

Q22. ) What is the full form of PMMSY – the scheme launched for fishery sector.

1. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana
2. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sambandh Yojana
3. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Swarojgaar Yojana
4. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Samridhi Yojana

Q23. )Consider the following statements w.r.t SFURTI:

1. It stands for Scheme of Fund for Upgradation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries.
2. Focus sectors under SFURTI will be Jute, Honey and Khadi clusters.
3. It envisions setting up of 100 new clusters during 2019-20 to enable 50,000 artisans to join the economic value chain.
4. All are true
5. A & C are true
6. A & B are true
7. B & C are true

• The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Government aims to set up more Common Facility Centres (CFCs) under the ‘Scheme of Fund for Upgradation and Regeneration of Traditional Industries’ (SFURTI).
• Presenting the Union Budget 2019-20 in the Lok Sabha today, she said this will facilitate cluster based development to make the traditional industries more productive, profitable and capable for generating sustained employment opportunities.
• The focused sectors are Bamboo, Honey and Khadi clusters.
• SFURTI envisions setting up of 100 new clusters during 2019-20 to enable 50,000 artisans to join the economic value chain.

Q24. ) Under the Rythu Raksha Scheme of Andhra Pradesh, farmer will Get Rs ________per Acre per year from upcoming Kharif Season?

1. Rs 10,000
2. Rs 7,000
3. Rs 15,000
4. Rs 12,000

• Andhra Pradesh Rythu Raksha Scheme 2019
• Under the scheme AP Farmer will Get Rs 10000 per Acre per year from upcoming Kharif Season.
• This financial aid will be given in two installments in every Kharif & Rabi Season as Rs 5000 per acre
• The farmers can use the money provided by the government in purchasing of seeds, pesticides, fertilizers and other necessary investments.
• The financial assistance of Rs.10,000 will be given directly to the bank accounts of the farmers.
• The benefit of this scheme will also be given to the tenant farmers of the state.  

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