Consider the following statements:
- 1.India has more arable area than China.
- 2.The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
- 3.The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) Only one
Only the first statement holds. India's arable land (about 155 million hectares) is second only to the USA's and larger than China's, but China irrigates a bigger share of its cropland and harvests far more per hectare.
- ✓ 1. FAO figures compiled by India's Agriculture Ministry put India's arable land at 155.37 million hectares in 2020, second in the world after the USA, which places it ahead of China.
- ✗ 2. About half of India's net sown area is irrigated and the rest depends on rainfall, while China irrigates a larger share of its smaller cropland.
- ✗ 3. China's yields are much higher: in 2020 its paddy yield was 7,043 kg per hectare against India's 4,138, and its wheat yield 5,742 kg against India's 3,440.
Remember · India: more arable land than China (second only to the USA). China: higher irrigation share of cropland and much higher yields per hectare.
Sources
- Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2022 (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare), Table 6.2: India's Position in World Agriculture in 2020 ↗ “Land Area 297.32 13031.20 2.28 Seventh Russian Federation, China, U.S.A.,Canada, Brazil, Australia Arable Land 155.37 1387.17 11.20 Second U.S.A. … 1. Paddy World 163093 769228 4717 100.00 China, mainland 30080 211860 7043 27.54 India 45070 186500 4138 24.25”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·