During the year 2020-21, which of the following States was the largest producer of groundnut in the country?
- (a)Andhra Pradesh
- (b)Gujarat
- (c)Rajasthan
- (d)Tamil Nadu
Correct — B, Gujarat. Gujarat has for years been India's largest groundnut-producing State, and remained so in 2020-21 — its semi-arid, well-drained soils (especially in Saurashtra) suit groundnut well, and it is a major kharif oilseed crop there.
- (a)Andhra Pradesh — A significant groundnut producer (notably around Rayalaseema/Anantapur), but its output trails Gujarat's.
- (c)Rajasthan — Groundnut is grown in parts of Rajasthan, but its production is well below Gujarat's.
- (d)Tamil Nadu — Groundnut is cultivated in Tamil Nadu, but its output is much smaller than Gujarat's.
Groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is India's leading oilseed crop by area, predominantly a kharif crop that needs well-drained sandy loam soil and moderate rainfall. Gujarat, especially the Saurashtra region, has long dominated national groundnut production, with States such as Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka contributing at a distance behind it.
Agriculture-ranking questions like this recur across MPPSC/UPSC ('largest producer of crop X'). Groundnut and Gujarat is one of the more stable pairings in recent years — unlike some other crops whose top-producing State has shifted.
- Gujarat has been India's largest groundnut-producing State for years, including in 2020-21.
- Groundnut is predominantly a kharif oilseed crop, suited to sandy, well-drained soils.
- Saurashtra (Gujarat) is the crop's traditional heartland in India.
- Assuming Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu (also groundnut-growing States) leads national production
- Confusing the largest-producer State with the largest-AREA State for a crop, which can differ
MPPSC/UPSC frequently ask 'largest producer of crop X' for a given year — memorise stable pairings such as Gujarat-groundnut, Madhya Pradesh-soybean and Uttar Pradesh-sugarcane.
Consider the following statements: I. Maharashtra has the highest acreage under jawar in India. II. Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut in India. III. Rajasthan has the largest area of cultivable wastelands in India. IV. Andhra Pradesh has the highest per hectare yield of maize in India. Which of these statements are correct?
- (a) I and IV
- (b) II and III
- (c) I and III
- (d) II and IV
Answer(c) I and III — for that period, Gujarat's 'largest groundnut producer' claim (statement II) was judged incorrect, since Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka together led output at the time.
Same concept — identifying the State that leads groundnut production — tested by UPSC two decades earlier, when Gujarat had not yet become the clear national leader as it was by 2020-21.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which region of Gujarat is traditionally considered the heartland of India's groundnut cultivation?
- (a)Saurashtra
- (b)Kachchh only
- (c)South Gujarat
- (d)Central Gujarat
Answer(a) Saurashtra — Gujarat's traditional groundnut belt.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Groundnut is primarily grown as which type of crop in India?
- (a)Rabi crop
- (b)Kharif crop
- (c)Zaid crop
- (d)Perennial crop
Answer(b) Kharif crop — sown with the onset of the monsoon.