Question

When high yielding varieties programme was launched ?

• A. 1963
• B. 1966
• C. 1972
• D. 1974

Hint:

Remember key agricultural milestones in India:
- 1963: Import of dwarf wheat seeds from CIMMYT.
- 1966: Official launch of HYVP (Green Revolution).
- 1974: Launch of Command Area Development Programme (CADP).

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Question:
The question asks for the specific year in which the High Yielding Varieties Programme (HYVP) was officially launched in India. This initiative was a core landmark of the Green Revolution in Indian agriculture.

Step 2: Key Concepts and Historical Background:

• High Yielding Varieties Programme (HYVP): Introduced during the Kharif season of 1966--67 under the guidance of M. S. Swamithan and agricultural policy planners.

• Objective: To attain self-sufficiency in food grain production by introducing dwarf, high-yielding varieties of staple crops responsive to chemical fertilizers and irrigation.

• Target Crops: Five major staple crops were targeted initially: Wheat, Rice, Maize, Sorghum (Jowar), and Pearl Millet (Bajra).

• Key Introduced Varieties: Dwarf wheat varieties such as Kalyan So and Solika (derived from Norman Borlaug's Mexican dwarf lines) and rice varieties like IR-8.

Step 3: Detailed Explation:

• Prior to 1966, India faced severe food crises and depended heavily on food imports under the US PL-480 scheme.

• The adoption of the HYVP in 1966 transformed Indian agriculture from traditiol subsistence farming to intensive technology-driven farming.

• The year 1963 saw the initial trials of Mexican wheat dwarf varieties, but the full-scale tiol implementation program (HYVP) was formally launched in 1966.

Step 4: Fil Answer:
The High Yielding Varieties Programme (HYVP) was officially launched in 1966. Therefore, option (B) is the correct choice.