UPSC EPFO APFC 2023 · Question 15
Question 15 of the UPSC EPFO APFC Recruitment Test 2023 (General Studies) (2 July 2023). Try it first, then check your answer and the explanation in the practice app.
Read the passage given below and answer the question that follows. The millet project of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation had three objectives—to preserve crop diversity in local millet varieties, to increase production and the consumption of millets, and to enhance farm incomes. The Kolli Hills block of Namakkal district, the project area, is a distinct geographic and agroecological region of the Eastern Ghats, populated by income-poor Scheduled Tribe households. There had been a rapid decline in minor millet cultivation, and a shift in land use towards more profitable crops such as cassava (tapioca), pineapple, coffee, and pepper. As the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has pointed out, the area under nutri-cereals has declined steeply in India since the mid-1980s—from 41 million hectares in the 1980s to 24 million hectares in 2017–18. The reasons for a shift in land use include low yields. Further, processing of millets is a time-consuming and laborious task, undertaken by women. Additionally, very little was marketed, and a tiny share of grain was processed into value-added products. The project intervened in three areas. First, yield enhancement was attempted, using a combination of participatory varietal trials for improved seeds, new agronomic practices, and new technology. Community seed banks were designed and constructed to conserve, restore, revive, strengthen and improve local seed systems. Second, customized post-harvest machineries (pulverizers and dehullers) were introduced. The introduction of small-scale localized mechanical milling, operated by self-help groups, was a game-changer. The third major initiative was training. The Kolli Hills Agrobiodiversity Conservers' Federation (KHABCOFED) was formed to oversee all activities relating to training and value-addition. Ready-to-cook products were branded under the Kolli Hills Natural Foods label and market links established. Net returns from value-added products were five to ten times higher than those from grains. Yields have risen as a result of improved seeds, agronomic practices and intercropping. There have been significant improvements in incomes from millet farming. The shift from hand-pounding to milling has reduced the drudgery for women and encouraged millet consumption. The number of private mills with customized dehullers and pulverizers has risen (and the technology has been marketed to Krishi Vigyan Kendras across Tamil Nadu). Millet yield has increased because
- sustainable farming practices are being followed
- farmers are exporting millet
- more labour is employed for farming
- easy bank loans are available now
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