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Q84 (IAS/2019) Economy › Agriculture & Rural Economy › Agricultural trade patterns Official Key

Among the agricultural commodities imported by India, which one of the following accounts for the highest imports in terms of value in the last five years?

Result
Your answer: —  Âˇ  Correct: D
Explanation

India is the largest importer of palm oil, which is also the lowest priced oil, and palm oil contributes to around 74% of the total edible oils that are imported into the country.[1] Palm oil is now the single largest consumed vegetable oil in India.[1] Palm oil has dominated Indian imports since the last two decades, for its logistical advantages, contractual flexibility, and consumer acceptance.[1]

Given that vegetable oils (particularly palm oil) constitute such a massive proportion of India's edible oil imports and India is the world's largest importer of palm oil, vegetable oils clearly account for the highest import value among agricultural commodities. While India does import spices, fresh fruits, and pulses, none of these categories match the volume and value of vegetable oil imports. The sustained dominance of palm oil imports over two decades, combined with its use for both edible (90%) and industrial purposes, makes vegetable oils the agricultural commodity with the highest import value in the last five years.

Sources
  1. [1] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Consumption of palm oil in India > p. 117
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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. Among the agricultural commodities imported by India, which one of the following accounts for the highest imports in terms of value in th…
At a glance
Origin: From standard books Fairness: High fairness Books / CA: 10/10 ¡ 0/10
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This is a classic 'Trend Analysis' question found in NCERT Geography and the Economic Survey. It rewards observing the 'relative magnitude' of trade items rather than memorizing exact dollar values. If you know India's structural deficits (Energy & Edible Oils), this is a 10-second kill.

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

Statement 1
Which agricultural commodity imported by India accounted for the highest import value over the last five years?
Origin: Direct from books Fairness: Straightforward Book-answerable
From standard books
Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 6: Environmental Issues > Consumption of palm oil in India > p. 117
Presence: 5/5
“Palm oil has dominated Indian imports since the last two decades, for its logistical advantages, contractual flexibility, and consumer acceptance. Change in consumption patterns, availability, pricing, and policy changes have influenced palm oil's contribution to India's edible oils import market. India is the largest importer of palm oil, which is also the lowest priced oil. Palm oil contributes to around 74% of the total edible oils that are imported into the country. Almost good of the palm oil imported and produced domestically is used for edible food purposes, while the remaining is used for industrial-edible purposes. Palm oil is now the single largest consumed vegetable oil in India.”
Why this source?
  • Specifically identifies palm oil as dominating India's edible oil imports over decades.
  • Quantifies palm oil's large share (~74%) of total edible oil imports, implying edible oils' large import value.
  • States India is the largest importer of palm oil and that palm oil is the single largest consumed vegetable oil in India.
INDIA PEOPLE AND ECONOMY, TEXTBOOK IN GEOGRAPHY FOR CLASS XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: International Trade > Changing Patterns of the Composition of India's Import > p. 88
Presence: 3/5
“It is also noticed that the, import of capital goods maintained a steady decline. Import of food and allied products declined. Other major items of India's import include pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, gold and silver, non-metal ferrous metals. The detail of Indian imports of some principal commodities during 2021-22 have been given in Table 8.5. • Based on Table 8.5, few activities may be undertaken: Arrange the items in ascending or descending order and write the names of the first five major items of India's import list of 2021-22. Why does India import edible oil in spite of being an agriculturally rich country?”
Why this source?
  • Treats edible oil as a principal import item and poses why India imports edible oil despite agricultural strength.
  • Refers to a table of principal import commodities that includes edible oil, indicating its importance in import composition.
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SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS ¡ 2003 ¡ Q143 Relevance score: 6.58

Among the following commodities imported by India during the year 2001-02, which one was the highest in terms of Rupee value?

CDS-I ¡ 2002 ¡ Q98 Relevance score: 6.07

In terms of the value, which one of the following commodities accounted for the largest agricultural import by India during the year 1999-2000?

IAS ¡ 2002 ¡ Q71 Relevance score: 5.92

In terms of value, which one of the following commodities accounted for the largest agricultural exports by India during the three year period from 1997- 1998 to 1999-2000?

CAPF ¡ 2012 ¡ Q97 Relevance score: 3.23

Which one among the following is the correct descending sequence of India’s import of commodities in terms of value?