Food Security in India

Why Food Security?

Food security is a fundamental human need and a cornerstone of national development. It means that all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. The opposite of food security is food insecurity, which leads to hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

Food security has three key dimensions:

1. Availability: This refers to the physical availability of food in the country, which includes food production within the country, food imports, and the stock of food in government granaries (buffer stock).
2. Accessibility: This means that food is within reach of every person. It is not enough for food to be available in the country; every household must have enough money to buy sufficient, good-quality food.
3. Affordability: This implies that an individual or household has enough purchasing power to buy sufficient, safe, and nutritious food to meet its needs. Affordability is closely linked to poverty.

Food security is crucial because it ensures a healthy workforce, promotes social stability, and reduces poverty. It is especially vital during times of natural calamity, like a drought, flood, or earthquake. A disaster can destroy crops, leading to a shortage of food (affecting availability). This shortage causes prices to rise, making it difficult for the poor to buy food (affecting accessibility and affordability). If such a calamity occurs in a widespread area or over a long period, it may cause a situation of starvation, which, if massive, can turn into a famine.

Who Are Food-Insecure?

While a large section of the population in India suffers from food and nutrition insecurity, the worst affected groups are the landless, the poor, and those in socially and economically disadvantaged positions. The food-insecure population can be identified across rural and urban areas.

In Rural Areas

The most vulnerable groups include:

• Landless agricultural labourers: They depend on daily wage work, which is often seasonal and uncertain.
• Traditional artisans: People like potters, blacksmiths, and weavers who face competition from modern industry.
• Petty self-employed workers: Small service providers like barbers or cobblers.
• Destitutes and beggars.

In Urban Areas

The food-insecure population largely consists of workers in the unorganised sector. These include:

• Casual labourers: For example, construction workers (often called 'pallaedars').
• Workers in low-paid occupations: Such as rickshaw-pullers.
• Seasonal workers: People who find employment only for a few months in a year.

Social and Other Vulnerabilities

• Social Composition: People belonging to the Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and some sections of the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) who have poor land-base or low productivity are prone to food insecurity.
• Regional Vulnerability: Certain regions, such as economically backward states with high incidence of poverty, tribal and remote areas, and regions prone to natural disasters (e.g., eastern and south-eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, parts of Madhya Pradesh) have a higher concentration of food-insecure people.
• Age and Gender: Pregnant and nursing mothers, and children under the age of 5 years, are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to nutritional insecurity.

According to the National Health and Family Survey (NHFS), the number of food-insecure people in India is alarmingly high, although it has decreased over the years. Hunger is another aspect of food insecurity, which can be chronic (due to persistently low income) or seasonal (related to cycles of food growing and harvesting).

India Is Aiming At Self-Sufficiency In Foodgrains Since Independence

At the time of independence, India faced a severe food crisis. The country was dependent on food aid, particularly wheat imports from the USA under the PL-480 (Public Law 480) scheme. To overcome this dependency and ensure food security for its vast population, India adopted a new agricultural strategy in the mid-1960s, which came to be known as the Green Revolution.

The Green Revolution

The Green Revolution, spearheaded by agricultural scientist M.S. Swaminathan, marked a turning point in Indian agriculture. It involved the introduction of modern farming techniques, particularly for the cultivation of wheat and rice.

Key components of the Green Revolution were:

• High-Yielding Variety (HYV) Seeds: These were new strains of seeds that could produce a much higher quantity of grain per acre compared to traditional seeds.
• Irrigation: HYV seeds required regular and controlled water supply, leading to a massive expansion in irrigation facilities through canals, tubewells, and dams.
• Chemical Fertilisers and Pesticides: To achieve their full yield potential, HYV seeds required the application of chemical fertilisers (like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) and pesticides to protect the crop from pests and diseases.
• Farm Mechanisation: The use of machinery like tractors, threshers, and harvesters increased efficiency.

The Green Revolution led to a spectacular increase in the production of foodgrains, especially wheat and rice. India achieved self-sufficiency in foodgrains and was no longer dependent on imports. The success of this revolution was so profound that in 1968, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi released a special stamp titled 'Wheat Revolution'.

However, the Green Revolution also had its limitations. Its success was initially confined to a few states like Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. It also led to concerns about environmental degradation due to excessive use of chemical fertilisers and groundwater depletion.

What Is Buffer Stock?

The self-sufficiency achieved through the Green Revolution was instrumental in creating a system to ensure food security for all. A key component of this system is the creation of a buffer stock of foodgrains.

A buffer stock is a reserve of commodities, specifically foodgrains like wheat and rice, procured and maintained by the government. This stock serves two main purposes:

1. To distribute foodgrains in food-deficit areas and among the poorer strata of society at a price lower than the market price.
2. To resolve the problem of food shortages during adverse weather conditions or periods of calamity, thereby stabilising food availability and prices.

Minimum Support Price (MSP)

The buffer stock is created by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The FCI purchases wheat and rice from farmers in states where there is surplus production.

The government pre-announces a price for these crops before the sowing season. This pre-announced price is known as the Minimum Support Price (MSP). The MSP acts as a guaranteed price for farmers and provides them with an incentive to produce surplus grains. It ensures that farmers do not have to resort to distress selling if there is a bumper crop and market prices fall.

The foodgrains purchased by the FCI at MSP are stored in large granaries across the country, forming the buffer stock. This stock is then used to supply the Public Distribution System.

What Is The Public Distribution System?

The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the mechanism through which the foodgrains procured by the FCI from the buffer stock are distributed to the consumers, especially the needy sections of society. This is the most important step taken by the Government of India towards ensuring food security.

The system works through a network of government-regulated ration shops, better known as Fair Price Shops (FPS). These shops are present in most localities, villages, towns, and cities. Ration card holders can purchase a stipulated amount of foodgrains (like wheat and rice) and other essential commodities (like sugar and kerosene) every month from these shops at a price lower than the market price. This subsidised price is known as the Issue Price.

Current Status Of The Public Distribution System

The PDS has evolved significantly over the years. Initially, it was a universal scheme with no discrimination between the poor and non-poor. However, to make it more efficient and targeted, the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was introduced in 1997. It created two categories:

• BPL (Below Poverty Line): Households below the poverty line.
• APL (Above Poverty Line): Households above the poverty line.

Two special schemes were launched in 2000: Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) for the 'poorest of the poor', and the Annapurna Scheme (APS) for indigent senior citizens.

The most significant reform has been the enactment of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), 2013. This Act makes the right to food a legal entitlement for up to 75% of the rural population and 50% of the urban population. Under this Act, eligible persons are entitled to receive 5 kg of foodgrains per person per month at highly subsidised prices of ₹3/2/1 per kg for rice/wheat/coarse grains, respectively.

Criticism of PDS

Despite its successes in averting famines, the PDS faces several criticisms:

• Leakages and Diversion: A significant portion of the grains is diverted to the open market by corrupt dealers.
- Poor Quality Grains: Beneficiaries often complain about receiving poor quality foodgrains. - Inefficient Operations: Fair Price Shops are often not open regularly. - Mounting Buffer Stocks: The FCI often holds buffer stocks far in excess of the norms, leading to high carrying costs and wastage of grains.

Role Of Cooperatives In Food Security

In addition to the government, cooperatives are also playing an increasingly important role in ensuring food security in India, particularly in the southern and western parts of the country. A cooperative is a voluntary association of individuals who come together to achieve a common economic or social goal.

Cooperatives set up shops to sell low-priced goods to poor people. For instance, in Tamil Nadu, around 94 percent of all Fair Price Shops are run by cooperatives, ensuring effective functioning of the PDS in the state.

Some prominent examples of cooperatives contributing to food security include:

• Mother Dairy in Delhi is a major supplier of milk and vegetables at controlled rates decided by the Government of Delhi.
• Amul is another spectacular success story of a cooperative in milk and milk products from Gujarat. It has brought about the 'White Revolution' in the country, ensuring nutritional security through milk availability.
• In Maharashtra, the Academy of Development Science (ADS) has facilitated a network of NGOs for setting up 'Grain Banks' in different regions. These community-run grain banks function like the government's buffer stock but at a local level, ensuring food security for tribal and remote communities.

These examples show that cooperatives can be an effective alternative for delivering food and other essential goods, often with greater community participation and accountability.