Q. Consider the following statements:

  1. The Government of India provides Minimum Support Price for niger (Guizotia abyssinica) seeds.
  2. Niger is cultivated as a Kharif crop.
  3. Some tribal people in India use niger seed oil for cooking.

How many of the above statements are correct?

  • Only one
  • Only two
  • All three
  • None

Answer: (c) All three

Minimum Support Price (MSP)
  • Minimum Support Price (MSP) is a form of market intervention by the Government of India to insure agricultural producers against any sharp fall in farm prices.
    • The major objectives are to support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution. In case the market price for the commodity falls below the announced minimum price due to bumper production and glut in the market, government agencies purchase the entire quantity offered by the farmers at the announced minimum price.
  • The minimum support prices are announced by the Government of India at the beginning of the sowing season for certain crops on the basis of the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
    • CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It came into existence in January 1965.
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister of India takes the final decision (approve) on the level of MSPs.
  • The MSP is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to growers for their produce and encouraging Crop Diversification.
  • Crops Under MSP:
    • The CACP recommends MSPs for 22 mandated crops and fair and remunerative price (FRP) for sugarcane.
    • The mandated crops include 14 crops of the kharif season, 6 rabi crops and 2 other commercial crops.
    • In addition, the MSPs of toria and de-husked coconut are fixed on the basis of the MSPs of rapeseed/mustard and copra, respectively.
  • The list of crops are as follows.
    • Cereals (7) – paddy, wheat, barley, jowar, bajra, maize and ragi
    • Pulses (5) – gram, arhar/tur, moong, urad and lentil
    • Oilseeds (8) – groundnut, rapeseed/mustard, toria, soyabean, sunflower seed, sesamum, safflower seed and niger seed
    • Raw cotton
    • Raw jute
    • Copra
    • De-husked coconut
    • Sugarcane (Fair and remunerative price)
    • Virginia flu cured (VFC) tobacco
Niger Seed (Guizotia abyssinica)
  • Guizotia abyssinica is an erect, stout, branched annual herb, grown for its edible oil and seed.
  • Its cultivation originated in the Eritrean and Ethiopian highlands, and has spread to other parts of Ethiopia.
    • Native to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Malawi, niger seeds are also grown in India. 
  • Niger seeds resemble sunflower seeds in shape, but are smaller in size and black.
  • Niger seed contains proteins, oil and soluble sugars.
  • Commercial Niger seed is grown in Africa, India and other areas of southeast Asia, and the seed is imported around the world as a popular type of birdseed.
  • Cultivation
    • Requiring moderate rainfall between 1,000 to 1,250 millimetres annually, niger seed needs moist soil to grow properly.
    • Niger should be grown in light black soils or brownish loam with sufficient depth but it also can be grown on well drained heavy soils or rocky laterite soils.
    • The crop can grow on denuded soil and its cultivation method is fairly basic: After the first rain when the soil is moist, farmers need to plough the field and sprinkle the seeds.
    • The crop neither requires much water nor fertilisers and pesticides.
    • Niger seed is a local food crop that is grown 100 per cent naturally in the country.
  • Niger Seed and Oil
    • Niger seed yields about 30–35% of its weight in oil which is clear, slow-drying, and edible.
    • Niger seed oil is polyunsaturated semi-drying oil. It has a pale yellow or orange color with a nutty taste and sweet odor. The raw oil has a low acidity and can be used directly for cooking.
    • Normally, it has a poor shelf life and will become rancid when stored for a long period. It is used as a substitute for olive oil and can be mixed with linseed oil.
  • Niger a Kharif MSP Crop
    • One of the 14 kharif crops for which the Centre releases a minimum support price (MSP) every year is an unlikely plant called niger or ramtil (Guizotia abyssinica).
    • Niger commands one of the highest MSPs, fixed on the basis of the cost of production and market demand.
    • The primary reason such a sparsely grown crop is part of the exclusive MSP list is because niger seed has traditionally been the lifeline of tribal agriculture and economy in several states across India.

Also Read: Crop Classification & Types of Crops in India