NABARD Grade A (Food Processing) official syllabus guide
NABARD Grade A (Food Processing) syllabus 2027
Phase I is the same for every RDBS discipline: 200 questions in 120 minutes, with reasoning, English, computer knowledge, quantitative aptitude and decision making qualifying only, and general awareness, economic and social issues, and agriculture and rural development deciding who reaches Phase II. In Phase II, Food Processing candidates write Paper I (descriptive English, 100 marks) and the stream-specific Paper II. Its objective part has 30 paragraph-based, numerical and application questions worth 50 marks in 30 minutes; the descriptive part asks 6 questions, of which you answer 4 (two of 15 marks and two of 10) in 90 minutes, typed in English or Hindi. NABARD calls its syllabus illustrative, not exhaustive.
Exam pattern and marking
- Phase I: 200 questions, 200 marks, 120 minutes composite; merit section is General Awareness 20, Economic and Social Issues 40, Agriculture and Rural Development 40
- Phase II Paper I: General English, descriptive, 3 questions, 100 marks, 90 minutes
- Phase II Paper II objective: 30 questions, 50 marks, 30 minutes; some questions carry 2 marks and some 1 mark; five options each
- Phase II Paper II descriptive: 6 questions, attempt 4, 50 marks, 90 minutes
- A quarter of the marks of a question deducted for each wrong answer in Phase I and Phase II
- Psychometric test (mandatory) and interview of 50 marks
Phase II Food Processing paper: 30 objective questions (50 marks, 30 minutes) plus descriptive answers syllabus
General
2 topics- Agriculture and livestock, milk production in India; national bodies for trade and export of processed foods
- Value addition, food regulations and specifications, process economics and management; food and agro industries and employment; problems of food processing in India
Food chemistry, microbiology and nutrition
3 topics- Proximate composition; chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins and fats; changes during processing; moisture, minerals and ash
- Vitamins and deficiency diseases; energy value of foods; protein quality and malnutrition; infant foods; enzymes in foods; recommended daily allowances
- Growth kinetics and identification of micro-organisms; factors in their destruction; microbiology of water, milk, cereals, meat, fish and canned foods; food poisoning and food-borne infections
Infestation control and pesticides
1 topic- Commodity storage, insect pests, moulds and rodents; infestation detection and control; fumigants and bio-pesticides; irradiation; organic foods
Food preservation and unit operations
2 topics- Heat, canning and bottling; moisture removal and water activity; intermediate moisture foods; refrigeration and freezing; sugar, salt, chemicals and micro-organisms as preservatives; irradiation and microwave heating
- Fluid flow, heat transfer, evaporators, distillation, drying theory and driers; mixing, homogenisation, filtration, centrifugation, size reduction, crystallisation
Animal products and dairy
3 topics- Meat and poultry industry, slaughter and abattoirs, meat quality, preservation, curing and by-products; eggs
- Fish processing: freezing, canning, drying, smoking, fish oil and fish meal
- Milk composition and processing; evaporated, condensed and dried milks; cheese; fermented milks; plant sanitation, pasteurisation and sterilisation
Grains, fruits, vegetables and plantation products
3 topics- Wheat milling, bread, biscuits and dough rheology; rice milling, parboiling and cooking quality; oilseed processing, refining and hydrogenation; legumes
- Fruit and vegetable canning, beverages, jams, pickles, vinegar and tomato products; storage, by-products, aseptic packaging, mushrooms
- Spices, tea, coffee and cocoa; flavours; plant location, layout and costing; packaging technology and standards
Source: NABARD illustrative syllabus: Food Processing ↗. Source: NABARD Advertisement No. 05/Grade A/2025-26 ↗. Checked 2026-10-30.
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