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Prelims 2018 paper

UPSC CSE Prelims 2018 · Question 93 · Agriculture economy, MSP & food security

Consider the following: Areca nut

Prelims 2018 · Q93

Agriculture economy, MSP & food security Easy

Consider the following:

  1. 1.Areca nut
  2. 2.Barley
  3. 3.Coffee
  4. 4.Finger millet
  5. 5.Groundnut
  6. 6.Sesamum
  7. 7.Turmeric

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has announced the Minimum Support Price for which of the above?

Answer & explanation

Answer: (b) 2, 4, 5 and 6 only

MSP is announced only for a fixed list of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and a few commercial crops. Barley, finger millet (ragi), groundnut and sesamum are on that list; areca nut, coffee and turmeric are not.

  • ✗ 1. Areca nut is a plantation crop with no MSP announced by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
  • ✓ 2. Barley is one of the rabi crops for which MSP is announced.
  • ✗ 3. Coffee is not among the crops for which MSP is announced.
  • ✓ 4. Finger millet is called ragi, and ragi is a kharif crop with an announced MSP.
  • ✓ 5. Groundnut is a kharif oilseed with an announced MSP.
  • ✓ 6. Sesamum (sesame) is a kharif oilseed with an announced MSP.
  • ✗ 7. Turmeric, a spice, is not on the MSP list.

Remember · MSP covers cereals (incl. barley, ragi), pulses, oilseeds (groundnut, sesamum), copra, cotton, jute and sugarcane's FRP; not coffee, areca nut or turmeric.

Sources

Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·

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