India's food security: need for reorienting priorities

The food situation in the country exhibits a set of paradoxes, which are typical to the Indian scene. On the one hand, there are record stocks of foodgrains in the godowns of the FCI (Food Corporation of India), implying considerable wastage in storage and subsequent movement. On the other hand, there are many in this country who are undernourished and underfed. This, of course, is a function of poverty and lack of purchasing power. Another facet of the agricultural scene is the significant number of suicides by farmers in recent months because of the effect of drought and reduced output or their inability to repay the loans that they have taken for financing their operations. It is sad that after the widely touted Green Revolution, our policies still suffer from serious imbalances, and the existence of widespread poverty continues to impose several hardships on hundreds of millions of our countrymen who remain undernourished and deprived. India has established a large research and development infrastructure in the field of agriculture. However, a reorientation of priorities is now urgent, whereby areas where rainfed agriculture is practised can benefit from the fruits of science and technology. In this regard, those who blindly oppose the use of biotechnology research for enhancing agricultural output are perhaps denying the poorest section of farmers the opportunity to pull out of marginal and sustenance farming. A major imperative, therefore, is to ensure the benefits of scientific research reaching all farmers throughout the country. The second area where change is essential is related to our storage arrangements, which the FCI has proved completely inept in handling. It is essential to privatize grain storage and warehousing and phase out the role of the FCI in this critical operation. Much needs to be done also in the pricing of foodgrains and inputs, so that current distortions are removed expeditiously. The need of the hour is to carry out a detailed debate on India?s food security by harnessing the best and brightest minds in the country, without necessarily going to the same tired old people to give us future direction and guidance. A new generation of thinkers and agricultural strategists must now take charge to reduce the problems of today and eliminate their recurrence tomorrow.