Consider the following statements:
- India has more arable area than China.
- The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
- The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?
Options:
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Click Here for Answer and Explanation
Correct Answer: (a) Only one
Explanation:
Statement 1: India has more arable area than China.
India and China are the most populous countries in the world. However, with limited arable land about 120 million hectares in China, and 156 million hectares in India, both face the challenge of producing enough food, fodder, and fiber for their population. Both have adopted modern technologies in agriculture, starting with High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds in the mid-1960s, increased irrigation cover, and use of more chemical fertilizers to get more food from this limited land. Hence statement 1 is correct.
Statement 2: The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.
Worldwide, irrigated agriculture accounts for about four-fifths of global water withdrawals. The share of irrigated land ranges widely, from 4 percent of the total area cropped in Africa to 42 percent in South Asia. The leading countries are India and China with about 30 percent and 52 percent of all croplands irrigated, respectively. Hence statement 2 is not correct.
Statement 3: The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.
Better seeds that result from higher R&D expenditures generally demand more fertilizer. It is worth noting that China’s fertilizer consumption in 2016 was 503 kg/ha of arable area compared to just 166 kg/ha for India, as per World Bank estimates. No wonder, China’s productivity in most crops is 50 to 100% higher than India’s.
Agricultural yield is the quantity of a crop produced on one unit of land. In India agricultural yield of food grains has increased by more than four times since 1950-51, and was 3479 kg/hectare in 2021. Whereas the average yield of food grains (in China) was 6321 kg/hectare. Hence statement 3 is not correct.