SSC
India is the largest producer as well as the largest consumer in the world of:
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Answer: Option A — Pulses
Detailed Solution
India is the world's largest producer of pulses, accounting for roughly a quarter of global production, and also the largest consumer, accounting for an even bigger share of world consumption. Because domestic production does not fully meet demand, India is also one of the largest importers of pulses.
What are pulses?
Pulses are the dried edible seeds of plants of the pea family (Fabaceae), such as gram, lentils, beans and peas.
They are an important source of protein, especially for India's large vegetarian population, and also provide fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Main pulses of India:
Gram (chana or chickpea): the most important pulse, grown mainly as a rabi crop. It accounts for the largest share of India's pulse production.
Tur (arhar or pigeon pea): mainly a kharif crop.
Moong (green gram) and urad (black gram): grown in kharif and also as summer crops.
Masur (lentil), peas, rajma (kidney beans), moth and kulthi (horse gram).
Leading states:
- Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are the leading producers of pulses, followed by Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Pulses are grown mainly on rain-fed, less fertile land in central and western India.
Importance:
- They are a cheap source of protein and help fight malnutrition.
- They need less water than cereals and suit dryland farming.
Government initiatives:
- The National Food Security Mission includes a pulses component to raise production through better seeds and technology.
- A buffer stock of pulses was created in 2016 to stabilise prices.
- Imports come mainly from Canada, Australia, Myanmar and African countries such as Mozambique and Tanzania.
International Year:
The United Nations declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, and 10 February is observed as World Pulses Day.
Why not the other options?
- ✗China is the largest producer of rice; India is second, though it is the largest rice exporter.
- ✗China is the largest producer of tea; India is second.
- ✗India is a small coffee producer compared with Brazil, the world leader.
Quick tip
Remember: India = largest producer, consumer and a major importer of pulses; gram (chana) is the leading pulse; MP leads production; 10 February = World Pulses Day.
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Agriculture in India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Agriculture in India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers agriculture in India: cropping seasons (kharif, rabi and zaid), major food and cash crops and their leading producer states, irrigation, the Green, White, Blue and other agricultural revolutions, and allied activities such as animal husbandry and fisheries. Questions usually ask which crop belongs to which season, which state is the largest producer of a crop, and which revolution relates to which product. For example, the White Revolution relates to milk and was led by Verghese Kurien, and the Blue Revolution relates to fisheries. Producer rankings can change from year to year, so check the latest data for those questions. Practise the agriculture in India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.