Solution: (c)
India is today the second largest wheat producer in the whole world. The major wheat producing states in India are placed in the northern part of the country. About 86 per cent of the India’s wheat production comes from 5 states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh while three northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana together supply about 72 per cent of the country’s wheat output. Tamil Nadu has not been known for wheat cultivation.

Solution: (b)
Rice production in India is an important part of the national economy. India is one of the world’s largest producer of white rice, accounting for 20% of all world rice production. India has the biggest area under rice cultivation, as it is one of the principal food crops. It is in fact the dominant crop of the country. The regions cultivating this crop in India is distinguished as the western coastal strip, the eastern coastal strip, covering all the primary deltas, Assam plains and surrounding low hills, foothills and Terai region- along the Himalayas and states like West Ben gal, Bihar, eastern Uttar Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, northern Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. India, being a land of eternal growing season, and the deltas of Kaveri River, Krishna River, Godavari River and Mahanadi River with a thick set-up of canal irrigation, permits farmers to raise two, and in some pockets, even three crops a year.

Solution: (d)
The Introduction of High-yielding varieties of seeds and the increased use of fertilizers and irrigation are known collectively as the Green Revolution, which provided the increase in production needed to make India self-sufficient in food grains, thus improving agriculture in India. Genetically modified high-yielding wheat was first introduced to India in 1963 by Dr. Norman Borlaug. Third Five-Year Plan (1961–1966) stressed on agriculture and improvement in the production of wheat. Past experience with the previous two Plans had convinced the policy makers that rate of agricultural growth was the main hampering factor on the path to development. The Plan document thus declared that, ‘Agricultural production has, therefore, to be increased to the largest extent feasible.’

Solution: (b)
Kharif crop refers to the planting, cultivation and harvesting of any domesticated plant sown in the rainy (monsoon) season on the Asian subcontinent. Such crops are planted for autumn harvest and may also be called the summer or monsoon crop in India and Pakistan. Kharif crops are usually sown with the beginning of the first rains in July, during the southwest monsoon season. Examples include Millet, Paddy, etc. Rice is the main kharif crop. Other Kharif crops are sugarcane & cotton. Wheat is rabi crop.

Solution: (a)
Alphonso is a mango cultivar that is considered as one of the best in terms of sweetness, richness and flavor It has considerable shelf life of a week after it is ripe making it exportable. It is also one of the most expensive kinds of mango and is grown mainly in largest region of western India. The southern district of Ratnagiri and south northern parts of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra state, including regions around the Dapoli and Devgad Talukas, the southern districts of Valsad and Navsari in Gujarat state and particularly Alphonso mangoes from the Amalsad region (including villages such as Dhamadachha, Kacholi, and all villages of Gandevi) produce the finest quality of alphonso mangoes in India. Southern States in India are also major mango producing areas. From north to south, climatic changes occur which result in differences in the quality of the produce. In Gujarat and Maharashtra, the finest fruit comes from a patch of 20 km from the seashore.