Which of the following makes recommendation regarding fixing of minimum support price for various crops?

The correct answer is C) Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP). It was set up in 1965 as the Agricultural Prices Commission and renamed CACP in 1985. It works under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and recommends MSP for the mandated crops after studying cost of cultivation and market trends. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs takes the final decision, so CACP only recommends.

• A) ICAR is the apex body for agricultural research and technology transfer. It does not fix prices.
• B) NABARD was set up under the NABARD Act, 1981, and is the apex development bank for rural credit. It has no role in price recommendations.
• D) IARI, at Pusa in Delhi, is a crop research institute. It develops varieties and does not recommend prices.

This sits within the Agriculture and Food Management syllabus. In Mains, CACP's cost-based formula and the debate over the C2+50% demand are key points for questions on farmer income and agricultural marketing.

Trap: aspirants pick ICAR because it is the most familiar agricultural body. Ask which body performs the price function, not which body is related to agriculture.