Topic– Distribution of key natural resources across the world (including South Asia and the Indian subcontinent).
2) Discuss the issues with sugarcane farming in India and suggest way forward?(250 words)
Why this question
India is the 2nd largest producer of sugarcane in the world and despite that the woes of the sugarcane farmers in India are often in the news. This article gives an in-depth analysis of the issues faced by sugarcane farmers and also discusses the way forward.
Key demand of the question
The question expects us to discuss in detail the issues faced by sugarcane producers in the country and discuss solutions to their problem.
Directive word
Discuss – Here the discussion expects you to delve into the problems faced by sugarcane producers of the country and discuss ways to alleviate those problems.
Structure of the answer
Introduction – Highlight that India is the second largest sugarcane producing country in the world and despite that fact the woes of the sugarcane farmers are neverending.
Body
- Discuss the issues faced by sugarcane farmers in the country
- Non payment of arrears due to supply demand gap of sugarcane and ineffective policies of the government
- Resource intensive nature of sugarcane and the problems that it leads to
- Mill owners barely make profits, thanks to additional GST and transportation costs, among other woes etc
- Discuss solutions tries by the government for upending the problems such as sugar subsidies, exporting excess production of sugar, production of ethanol from sugarcane to use in cars and buying excess sugar and hoarding it as buffer stock. Highlight that introduction of HYVs has further added to supply demand mismatch. Highlight that Brazil has successfully implemented ethanol production policies to effectively reduce oil import. But implementing the same in India poses a grave threat to groundwater levels, the depletion of which is already a grim ecological catastrophe to be fix.
- Discuss some potential solutions
- The Tuteja, Thorat, Nanda Kumar and Rangarajan committees have all contributed to sugarcane price policy in the country
- striking a balance between ethanol blending policies and shifting farmers away from sugarcane etc
Conclusion – give your view and discuss way forward.
