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Q100 (IAS/2018) Economy › Agriculture & Rural Economy › Sustainable farming practices Official Key

With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements : 1. 'The National Programme for Organic Production' (NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development. 2. 'The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority' (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP. 3. Sikkim has become India's first fully organic State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B (statements 2 and 3 only).

**Statement 1 is incorrect:** The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is operated under the overall guidance and directions of the Department of Commerce, Government of India[1], not the Union Ministry of Rural Development.

**Statement 2 is correct:** The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) was launched in 2001 by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt of India for exports of Organic products and APEDA acts as the Secretariat for the implementation of the NPOP[2].

**Statement 3 is correct:** Sikkim implemented organic practices in around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land as per the guidelines of NPOP and became India's first fully organic State in 2015[3]. This makes Sikkim a pioneering example of state-level organic transition in India.

Therefore, only statements 2 and 3 are correct, making option B the right answer.

Sources
  1. [1] https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/org_farm/pdf/NPOP%208th%20Edition%20.pdf
  2. [2] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2148991
  3. [3] Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > Importance: > p. 311
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PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
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Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements : 1. 'The National Programme for Organic Production' (NPOP…
At a glance
Origin: Books + Current Affairs Fairness: Moderate fairness Books / CA: 6.7/10 · 3.3/10
You're seeing a guest preview. The Verdict and first statement analysis are open. Login with Google to unlock all tabs.

This is a classic 'Ministry Swap' trap. The examiner relies on the intuition that 'Organic Farming' must belong to the Ministry of Agriculture or Rural Development. However, since NPOP is primarily an export-standard mechanism, it falls under Commerce. Recognizing this administrative nuance was the key to cracking the question.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Is the National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) in India operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is operated under the overall guidance and directions of the Department of Commerce, Government of India."
Why this source?
  • Directly states which ministry provides overall guidance for NPOP.
  • Names the Department of Commerce, not the Ministry of Rural Development, as the apex authority.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) was launched in 2001 by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Govt of India for exports of Organic products and APEDA acts as the Secretariat for the implementation of the NPOP."
Why this source?
  • Confirms the programme was launched by the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
  • Identifies APEDA as the Secretariat for NPOP implementation under the Department of Commerce.
Web source
Presence: 5/5
"GOVERNMENT OF INDIA Ministry of Commerce & Industry Department of Commerce National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP)"
Why this source?
  • Official NPOP document header associates the programme with the Ministry of Commerce & Industry and Department of Commerce.
  • Supports that NPOP is a Department of Commerce/Ministry of Commerce & Industry initiative rather than Ministry of Rural Development.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 11: Agriculture - Part II > 11.9 Organic Farming > p. 346
Strength: 5/5
“All products labelled as organic shall be required to be certified either under NPOP or PGS-India and shall bear logo of Jaivik Bharat (FSSAI organic food logo) along with the concerned certification programme (PGS-India or NPOP) logo. The organic regulations allow import of organic food into India without being re-certified in India if the organic standards of the exporting country have been recognised as equivalent to NPOP. NPOP: The National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) is a third-party certification programme, run by the ministry of commerce and industries since 2001, which lays down the norms governing the production of organic food.”
Why relevant

Explicitly states NPOP is a third-party certification programme run by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries since 2001 — gives a direct alternative institutional home.

How to extend

A student could check official ministry responsibilities (Commerce & Industry vs Rural Development) or APEDA's parent ministry to judge the plausibility of the Rural Development claim.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > Importance: > p. 311
Strength: 5/5
“For certification of produce as organic, the FSSAI has notified Food Safety & Standards (Organic Foods) Regulation, 2017 which requires organic food to comply with the provisions of any one of the following 2 certification systems: • 1. National Programme for Organic Production (NPOP) being implemented by Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) as per the guidelines of Ministry of Commerce & Industry. • 2. Participatory Guarantee System for India (PGS-India) under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer's Welfare. Sikkim implemented organic practices in around 75,000 hectares of agricultural land as per the guidelines of NPOP and became India's first fully organic State in 2015.”
Why relevant

Says NPOP is implemented by APEDA 'as per the guidelines of Ministry of Commerce & Industry' when listing certification systems — reinforces Commerce & Industry linkage.

How to extend

Combine this with knowledge that APEDA is under Commerce & Industry to infer which ministry issues operational guidelines for NPOP.

Indian Economy, Vivek Singh (7th ed. 2023-24) > Chapter 12: Supply Chain and Food Processing Industry > 12.8 Previous Years Questions > p. 375
Strength: 3/5
“• 2. With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements: [2018] • (i) The National Programme for Organic Production' (NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.• (ii) The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority' (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP.• (iii) Sikkim has become India's first fully organic State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? • (a) (i) & (ii) only• (b) (ii) & (iii) only• (c) (iii) only• (d) (i), (ii) & (iii)”
Why relevant

Presents the assertion (that NPOP is operated under Ministry of Rural Development) as an exam statement to be evaluated, showing it is a claim under scrutiny.

How to extend

Use this to motivate cross-checking authoritative sources (e.g., APEDA, ministry websites) rather than accepting the claim.

Indian Economy, Nitin Singhania .(ed 2nd 2021-22) > Chapter 9: Agriculture > 2019 > p. 360
Strength: 3/5
“With reference to organic farming in India, consider the following statements: • 1. "The National Programme for Organic Production' (NPOP) is operated under the guidelines and directions of the Union Ministry of Rural Development. • "The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority' 2. (APEDA) functions as the Secretariat for the implementation of NPOP. • 3. Sikkim has become India's first fully organic State. Which of the statements given above is/are correct? • (a) 1 and 2 only • (b) 2 and 3 only • (c) 3 only • (d) 1, 2 and 3 • 20. Consider the following statements: The nation-wide 'Soil Health Card Scheme' aims at • 1. expanding the cultivable area under irrigation. • 2. enabling the banks to assess the quantum of loans to be granted to farmers on the basis of soil quality.”
Why relevant

Repeats the same multiple-choice formulation including the Rural Development claim and the APEDA-as-secretariat claim, indicating these are common, testable assertions.

How to extend

A student could use the repeated exam framing to prioritize verifying which ministry actually oversees/frames NPOP rules (Commerce vs Rural Development).

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

This statement analysis shows book citations, web sources and indirect clues. The first statement (S1) is open for preview.

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