UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 3 : structural strengths of Indian agriculture and role of Western Disturbances (Week 154)

QUESTION 2

Discuss the role of Western Disturbances in shaping India’s winter and pre-monsoon weather. How is climate change altering the frequency and intensity of such weather systems?

QUESTION 1: “India’s agricultural exports have displayed resilience despite rising protectionism and tariff barriers in global trade.” Discuss the structural strengths of Indian agriculture that have enabled this resilience.

Relevance: The question is important for topics such as agriculture, external sector, WTO, food processing, and global trade protectionism in GS-3. It also links India’s farm economy with global supply chains, tariff wars, export diversification, and farmer income security.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India’s farm exports grew 2.3% year-on-year in 2025-26 (April-March), despite the steep tariffs imposed by the United States President Donald Trump’s administration. Farm produce shipments were valued at $53.1 billion during the last financial year, up from $52 billion in 2024-25 and marginally below the all-time-high of $53.2 billion for 2022-23.

— The 2.3% agri exports growth was higher than the 0.9% increase in India’s overall merchandise exports, from $437.7 billion in 2024-25 to $441.7 billion in 2025-26. The latter figure was also down from the $451.1 billion peak of 2022-23.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

What are the Structural Strengths Enabling Resilience?

— Higher-value items are being exported in place of raw commodities. Value realisation has been improved by the robust expansion of processed food exports, which have increased their proportion considerably in recent years.

— In order to increase India’s competitiveness, the government has worked hard to modernise logistical infrastructure, particularly port facilities and cold-chain capacity.

— The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Exports Development Authority (APEDA) offers funding as well as support for improving quality. Over 1.8 crore farmers and thousands of dealers nationwide are now connected thanks to the growth of the e-National Agriculture Market (e-NAM), which has improved market efficiency and transparency.

— India has effectively used accords such as the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the UAE and India to lower tariff barriers and increase market access for its agricultural exports.

For instance,

— The value of marine products exports grew by 13.9% to over $8.4 billion. Even as exports to the US fell, that to other countries rose: China ($1.2 billion in 2024-25 to $1.6 billion in 2025-26), Vietnam ($381.8 million to $648.6 million), and Japan ($408.5 million to $451.1 million).

— Coffee exports from India crossed the $2 billion mark for the first time in 2025-26, nearly trebling from the $720 million of 2020-21. The driver has been high global prices and stocks plunging to historically low levels.

— India’s fresh fruits & vegetables exports largely comprise grapes, pomegranates, mangoes, bananas, oranges, onion, tomato, potato, green chilli and mixed vegetables. The important markets are UAE, Iraq, Netherlands, Bangladesh and Malaysia.

— In spices, India has become a substantial exporter of chilli, cumin, mint, turmeric, coriander, ginger, fennel, oleoresins and curry powder/paste, while also a net importer of traditional plantation spices such as pepper and cardamom.

Conclusion:

— India continues to be a surplus trader of agricultural produce, as opposed to running deficits in other merchandise goods. Even that surplus, however, has been narrowing over time.

(Source: How India’s farm exports have grown despite Trump tariffs)

Points to Ponder

Can India balance domestic food security with export-oriented agricultural growth?

Do protectionist policies in developed countries undermine fair global agricultural trade?

Related Previous Year Questions

Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. (2025)

Examine the scope of the food processing industries in India. Elaborate the measures taken by the government in the food processing industries for generating employment opportunities. (2025)

QUESTION 2: Discuss the role of Western Disturbances in shaping India’s winter and pre-monsoon weather. How is climate change altering the frequency and intensity of such weather systems?

Relevance: The question is important for disaster management, climate change, agriculture, and environmental geography in GS-3. The topic is frequently linked with extreme weather events, making it relevant for climate resilience and adaptive governance.

Note: This is not a model UPSC answer. It only provides you with a thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— Western Disturbances are east-moving rain-bearing wind systems that originate beyond Afghanistan and Iran, and pick up moisture from the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Arabian Sea. These are typically extra-tropical cyclones resulting from low-pressure areas, formed by interactions between polar and tropical winds.

— Western Disturbances are embedded within the subtropical westerly jet stream, which is a high-altitude, fast-moving air current that flows from west to east in the Earth’s atmosphere. It is found over the Himalayan and Tibetan highlands.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in your answer:

— Western Disturbances are most common during the boreal winter months (December to March) and influence the weather over India, particularly the northwestern regions, as well as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan.

Role of Western Disturbances in Indian Weather

— The growth of Rabi crops, particularly wheat, which is crucial to India’s food security, depends on the precipitation these disruptions bring.

— By bringing in moisture, these systems lower the temperature and contribute to the reduction of air pollution.

— Western disturbances are essential for providing rainfall during the pre-monsoon season, which reduces heat and supplies necessary soil moisture.

Impacts of Climate Change on Western Disturbances

— Due to the strengthening of these systems brought about by climate change, they are able to carry more moisture, which increases the likelihood of avalanches and other severe precipitation events like flash floods.

— As Western Disturbances interact with other shifting local weather systems, they are becoming more intense, increasing the likelihood of natural disasters like floods in states like Punjab.

— Significant seasonal and structural changes are occurring in the Western Disturbances, especially in the pre-monsoon season. Water resources, extreme weather, and disaster risk in the Himalayas and surrounding areas are all significantly impacted by this shift.

Conclusion:

— With Western Disturbances continuing to evolve under a warming climate, there is a need for dynamic forecasting frameworks and region-specific risk assessments to safeguard lives, livelihoods, and critical ecosystems.

(Source: From Western Disturbance to El Niño: The climate terms you’re hearing this summer, explained, http://www.pib.gov.in)

Points to Ponder

How do Western Disturbances affect India’s food security through their impact on rabi agriculture?

What is the relationship between weakening winter rainfall and rising heatwave intensity in India?

Related Previous Year Question

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has predicted a global sea level rise of about one metre by AD 2100. What would be its impact in India and the other countries in the Indian Ocean region? (2023)

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Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 152)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 3 (Week 153)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 152)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 2 (Week 153)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 152)

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 153)

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