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Geography · Major Crops of India (Food & Cash Crops)

UPSC Prelims 2025, Question 24

The concept being tested: India's crop production regions and commodity exports.

Consider the following statements about turmeric during the year 2022-23: I. India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric in the world. II. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India. III. Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are major turmeric producing States in India. Which of the statements given above are correct?

Options

  1. AI and II only
  2. BII and III only
  3. CI and III only
  4. DI, II and IIICorrect answer

The answer: I, II and III

India dominates world turmeric trade, contributing roughly three-fourths of global output and topping world exports, so the claim that it is the largest producer and exporter is correct. Indian breeders and farmers cultivate well over 30 turmeric varieties across regions, ranging from long-duration types such as Duggirala and Tekurpeta to shorter-duration ones like Suguna and Suroma, bred to suit local soil and rainfall, confirming the second claim. On geography, Telangana leads national output with Nizamabad known as the country's turmeric hub, Maharashtra's Sangli market is a major trading centre, and Karnataka and Tamil Nadu also rank among the top producers, so the third claim also holds. Because all three statements check out against actual production and trade data for 2022-23, the option covering all three statements together is the one UPSC intended as correct.

What UPSC was testing

This is UPSC's standard three-statement, all-must-be-checked format on agricultural geography, where the trap is assuming a spice-export question will have a partial-truth twist; here every statement is factually sound, so the safe move is verifying each on its own merit rather than second-guessing a full 'all correct' outcome.

How often this comes up

This concept has appeared 6 times in UPSC Prelims General Studies Paper I between 2015 and 2025 — in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

The option-by-option autopsy for this question — why each of the other three is wrong, and which neighbouring concept each one was built from — is in the app.