IBPS SO Agricultural Field Officer, CRP SPL-XVI (2026) - new pattern · India · Institute of Banking Personnel Selection
Original practice questions written to the published syllabus · not past papersSelling to farmers: how demand for seed, fertiliser, pesticides and machinery behaves, how those markets are structured and regulated, and how dealer networks work.
In the exams: agribusiness management PhD entrance and fellowship examinations, marketing of agricultural inputs (present); light in agricultural master's entrance examinations
How our questions for IBPS SO Agricultural Field Officer, CRP SPL-XVI spread across the units of Management of Agricultural Input Marketing. Difficulty: 16 easy, 13 medium, 1 hard.
| Fertiliser market structure | 6 | |
| Seed marketing: policy and trade practices | 5 | |
| Fertiliser subsidy | 5 | |
| Regulatory controls on inputs | 4 | |
| Pesticide market profile | 2 | |
| Farmer buying behaviour for pesticides | 2 | |
| Tractor and farm machinery market segments and shares | 2 | |
| Nature of demand for agricultural inputs | 1 | |
| Promotional media for input marketing | 1 | |
| Dealer and distributor networks | 1 | |
| Input credit | 1 |
Choose an answer, then open the working. Each explanation says why the right answer is right and why the others are not.
Under India's Seeds Act, 1966, which statement about seed certification is correct?
B. Certification is voluntary, but notified kinds sold must meet minimum germination and purity and be labelled
Certification under the Act is voluntary; uncertified seed can be sold as truthfully labelled seed but must still meet the minimum limits and label requirements. Compulsory certification applies in some other countries, not under the 1966 Act.
A crop needs 120 kg N per hectare, all supplied as urea. How much urea is needed per hectare?
D. 260.9 kg
Urea = 120 ÷ 0.46 = 260.9 kg. Multiplying by 0.46 (55.2 kg) gives the N in 120 kg of urea, the reverse calculation; dividing by 0.18 (666.7 kg) uses DAP's N content.
A district applies 150 kg N, 60 kg P2O5 and 30 kg K2O per hectare. Its N:P2O5:K2O ratio is
C. 5:2:1
Divide each by the potash figure: 150/30 = 5, 60/30 = 2, 30/30 = 1, giving 5:2:1. It is wider on nitrogen than the broad 4:2:1 norm often cited for India. 1:2:5 reverses the order. 2.5:1:0.5 divides by the phosphate figure instead of the potash figure.
The Abuja Declaration of 2006 set a target for African fertiliser use of
B. 50 kg of nutrients per hectare
The Africa Fertilizer Summit in Abuja in 2006 set a target of raising average use to 50 kg of nutrients per hectare. The target is in nutrients, not product.
Globally, the largest segment of the crop-protection market by value is
C. herbicides
Herbicides lead globally, driven by large-scale grain and oilseed farming. In India insecticides have traditionally been the largest segment, which is the usual trap in this question.
The economic threshold level (ETL) of a pest is
C. the pest density at which control should begin to keep the pest below the economic injury level
The ETL is set below the economic injury level (EIL) so that action taken at the ETL stops the population reaching the EIL. The EIL is the density at which damage value equals control cost.
In India, the tractor horsepower band that has for many years accounted for the bulk of sales is
C. 31 to 50 hp
The 31–40 and 41–50 hp segments together have long made up most Indian tractor sales, suiting mid-sized holdings and haulage. Very small and very large tractors are niche segments in India.
The Diploma in Agricultural Extension Services for Input Dealers (DAESI) in India was started by
A. MANAGE, Hyderabad
MANAGE (the National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management) started DAESI in 2003 to give input dealers formal training in agronomy, plant protection, input laws and extension.
The Kisan Credit Card scheme in India was introduced in
B. 1998
The KCC was introduced in 1998, on a model prepared by NABARD, to give farmers a revolving limit for crop production needs. 1969 is bank nationalisation and 1982 the founding of NABARD.
Under India's Insecticides Act, 1968, the body that registers each pesticide product for specified crops and uses is the
B. Registration Committee
The Central Insecticides Board advises on policy; the Registration Committee registers products. The Central Seed Certification Board is under the Seeds Act.
Ten here, 30 in the app. The Laisha app has every practice question we have written to IBPS SO Agricultural Field Officer, CRP SPL-XVI in this subject, marked as you go, with timed papers, a jump-to-unanswered list and a certificate when you pass at 70 per cent.
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