UPSC CSE Prelims
Question 56
With reference to chemical fertilizers in India, consider the following statements:
- At present, the retail price of chemical fertilizers is market-driven and not administered by the Government.
- Ammonia, which is an input of urea, is produced from natural gas.
- Sulphur, which is a raw material for phosphoric acid fertilizer, is a by-product of oil refineries.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
View correct answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Correct Option: B (2 & 3 only)
Explanation: Urea’s price is administered/subsidised rather than wholly market-set; ammonia for urea is conventionally made using hydrogen derived from natural gas, and sulphur for phosphoric-acid-based fertilisers is recovered in petroleum processing.
Statement / Pair / Item-wise Analysis:
1. Incorrect - Urea prices in India are government-controlled; not all chemical fertiliser retail prices are entirely market-determined.
2. Correct - Natural gas supplies hydrogen/feedstock for ammonia via steam reforming and the Haber-Bosch process.
3. Correct - Petroleum refining yields recovered sulphur used to manufacture sulphuric acid for phosphate fertilisers.
Option-wise Analysis:
A. Incorrect-includes incorrect item 1 (Urea prices in India are government-controlled; not all chemical fertiliser retail prices are entirely market-determined); omits correct item 2 (Natural gas supplies hydrogen/feedstock for ammonia via steam reforming and the Haber-Bosch process); omits correct item 3 (Petroleum refining yields recovered sulphur used to manufacture sulphuric acid for phosphate fertilisers).
B. Correct-includes all and only valid statements/items 2, 3.
C. Incorrect-omits correct item 3 (Petroleum refining yields recovered sulphur used to manufacture sulphuric acid for phosphate fertilisers).
D. Incorrect-includes incorrect item 1 (Urea prices in India are government-controlled; not all chemical fertiliser retail prices are entirely market-determined).