FOOD SECURITY IN INDIA

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that India has become a food-surplus country and is now providing solutions for achieving global food security.

“India’s food security was a matter of concern for the world but today India is providing solutions for global food and nutrition security,” Modi said at the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE) in New Delhi.

Insights from PM Modi’s speech :

• India is the largest producer of milk, pulses and spices
• The second-largest producer of foodgrain, fruit, vegetables, cotton, sugar, tea and farmed fish.
• 90% of the small farmers of India own little land but are the biggest strength of India’s food security. 
• India has provided 1,900 new climate-resilient varieties of crops in the past 10 years and is promoting chemical-free natural farming. 
• The country is moving towards achieving the 20% ethanol blending target in petrol.
• A similar situation is prevalent in several developing Asian countries, making India’s model replicable.

What is Food security?

Food security means the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.

(a) Availability of food means food production within the country, food imports and the previous years’ stock stored in government granaries.

(b) Accessibility means food is within reach of every person.

(c) Affordability implies that an individual has enough money to buy sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet one’s dietary needs.

Thus, food security is ensured in a country only if

(1) Enough food is available for all the persons

(2) All persons can buy food of acceptable quality and

(3) There is no barrier to access to food.

Mapping the Course of Food Security :

India is aiming at Self-sufficiency in Foodgrains since Independence.

After independence, Indian policymakers adopted all measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. India adopted a new strategy in agriculture, which resulted in the ‘Green Revolution’ especially in the production of wheat and rice.

The “Father of the Green Revolution, Norman Ernest Borlaug was an American agricultural scientist and plant pathologist. Born near Saude, Iowa, and passing away in Dallas, Texas, Borlaug was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970 for his pivotal contributions to reducing world hunger through agricultural innovation.

An Indian geneticist  M.S. Swaminathan  was renowned for his pivotal role in India’s “Green Revolution.” This initiative saw the planting of high-yield wheat and rice seedlings in the fields of poor farmers.

Constitutional Provisions related to food security :

• Article 21, which guarantees the fundamental right to life, can be interpreted to encompass the right to live with human dignity. This interpretation may include the right to food and other essential needs.
• Article 39(a) of the Constitution, enunciated as one of the Directive Principles, fundamental in the governance of the country, requires the State to direct its policies towards ensuring that all its citizens have the right to an adequate means of livelihood.
• Article 47 spells out the duty of the State to raise the level of nutrition and standard of living of its people as a primary responsibility.
• The Constitution thus makes the Right to Food a guaranteed Fundamental Right which is enforceable under the constitutional remedy provided under Article 32 of the Constitution.

Current Framework for Food Security in India

• Buffer Stock: The Food Corporation of India (FCI) is primarily responsible for procuring food grains at the minimum support price (MSP) and storing them in its warehouses located across various regions. From these warehouses, the food grains are supplied to state governments based on their requirements.
• Public Distribution System (PDS): Over time, the Public Distribution System has become a crucial aspect of the Government’s strategy for managing the country’s food economy. PDS is designed to be supplemental and is not intended to provide the entire requirement of any commodity. Currently, PDS allocates commodities such as wheat, rice, sugar, and kerosene to States and Union Territories for distribution. Additionally, some States and Union Territories distribute extra mass-consumption items like pulses, edible oils, iodized salt, and spices through PDS outlets.
• National Food Security Mission:

In 2007, the National Development Council (NDC) passed a resolution to launch a Food Security Mission aimed at boosting agricultural production. The mission set ambitious targets to increase the annual production of rice by 10 million tonnes, wheat by 8 million tonnes, and pulses by 2 million tonnes by the end of the Eleventh Plan (2011-12).

As a result, the ‘National Food Security Mission’ (NFSM), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, was initiated in October 2007. The NFSM was highly successful, achieving its goals and significantly increasing the production of rice, wheat, and pulses.

• National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA): This Act represents a significant shift from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based approach to food security.

NFSA includes 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population under its provisions:

• Antyodaya Anna Yojana: This scheme targets the poorest of the poor, providing them with 35 kg of food grains per household per month.
• Priority Households (PHH): Households in this category receive 5 kg of food grains per person per month.

Key features of NFSA :

• The Act mandates that the eldest woman in the household, aged 18 years or older, be designated as the head of the household for issuing ration cards.
• The Act includes special provisions for children aged 6 months to 14 years, entitling them to free nutritious meals through a widespread network of Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) centres, known as Anganwadi Centres.
• Subsidized Prices: For priority households, the prices are set at Rs. 3 per kilogram for rice, Rs. 2 for wheat, and Rs. 1 for coarse grains.
• Public Distribution System (PDS) Reforms: The Act underscores the importance of strengthening and reforming the PDS through measures such as computerization of records and the establishment of grievance redressal mechanisms.
• Grievance Redressal: The Act aims to offer a platform for beneficiaries to seek remedies in cases of denial or irregularities in accessing their entitlements.

Other Government Initiatives :

CHALLENGES RELATED TO FOOD SECURITY :

• Population Growth: The increasing global population places a higher demand on food production, straining resources and systems.
• Climate Change: Extreme weather conditions, such as droughts and floods, disrupt food production and supply chains. The monsoon contributes approximately 70% of India’s annual rainfall and irrigates 60% of its net sown area. However, changing precipitation patterns and the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and floods, are already diminishing agricultural productivity in India, posing a significant threat to food security.
• Soil Degradation: Overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides leads to soil degradation, reducing agricultural productivity. A key element of food production is healthy soil because nearly 95% of global food production depends on soil.
• Water Scarcity: Limited availability of fresh water affects irrigation, essential for consistent food production.
• Supply Chain Disruption Due to Unstable Global Order: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic already affected food supply globally, and the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 further disrupted the global supply chain, leading to food scarcity and inflation. Russia and Ukraine account for 27% of the global wheat market, with 26 countries—primarily in Africa, West Asia, and Asia—relying on these nations for over 50% of their wheat imports.
• Loss of Biodiversity: Declining biodiversity reduces the resilience of agricultural systems to pests and diseases.
• Food Waste: A significant amount of food is lost or wasted at various stages of the supply chain, from production to consumption.

WAY FORWARD :

• Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability – Productivity improvements should be prioritized through increased use of biotechnology, enhanced watershed management, application of nano-urea, access to micro-irrigation facilities, and a collective effort to close crop yield gaps across states.
• Climate Resilient Agriculture – Promote crop diversification, crop rotation, and agroecological methods. Establish early warning systems for extreme weather events and assist farmers in adopting climate-resilient practices.
• Invest in Research and Development –  Create crop varieties that produce more and are resistant to drought and pests, and use new farming methods. Promote modern technologies such as precision agriculture, remote sensing, and digital farming tools to make better use of resources and boost productivity.
• Improve Irrigation Infrastructure – Modernize outdated irrigation systems with more efficient technologies, such as drip or sprinkler systems, to reduce water wastage. Develop systems to collect and store rainwater for irrigation, especially in areas with erratic rainfall patterns.
• Land Reforms
• Diversify Diets – Encourage the consumption of locally available fruits, vegetables, grains, and proteins to increase variety and support local farmers. Encourage the use of whole grains like quinoa, barley, and millet in place of refined grains to increase nutrient diversity.
• Nutrition Education – Implement programs in schools and institutions that provide diverse meal options and educate students about nutrition.
• Revitalizing Aadhaar Seeding of Ration Cards: To accelerate the linking of Aadhaar to ration cards, effective ground monitoring measures need to be implemented. This will ensure that no eligible beneficiary is excluded from receiving their allocated food grains, thereby advancing the goal of achieving zero hunger (Sustainable Development Goal 2).

Food Distribution and Storage:

• Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) : It is essential to streamline food and fertilizer subsidies into direct benefit transfers to the accounts of identified beneficiaries using the JAM trinity platform (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, and Mobile).
• Invest in Storage and Cold Chain Infrastructure : investing in modern storage facilities, cold chain infrastructure, and transportation systems will help reduce food losses and wastage.
• Promote Private Sector Participation

Empowering farmers :

• Provide training programs on modern farming techniques, sustainable practices, and financial literacy to enhance their skills and knowledge.
• Encourage the formation of cooperatives and associations that allow farmers to pool resources, share knowledge, and strengthen their bargaining power.

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