Food Security In India
Food security means the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times. Food security depends on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government vigilance and action at times when this security is threatened.
Food security has the following dimensions
(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.
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
(3) There is no barrier to access to food.
During natural calamities, such as drought, the production of food grains decreases, creating a shortage of food in the affected areas. The prices increase due to a shortage of food. People cannot afford to buy food, and if such a calamity happens in a very widespread area or is stretched over a longer period, it might cause a situation of starvation. Massive starvation might turn into a famine. A Famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation and epidemics caused by the forced use of contaminated water or decaying food and loss of body resistance due to weakening from starvation.
In India, a large section of people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity. People having little or no land, traditional artisans, providers of traditional services, petty self-employed workers, and the destitute, including beggars, are the worst affected groups. In the urban areas, food-insecure families are those who are generally employed in ill-paid occupations and the casual labour market. These workers are largely engaged in seasonal activities and are paid very low wages.
The social composition, along with the inability to buy food, also plays a role in food insecurity. People of SC, ST and OBC communities who have either poor land base or very low land productivity are prone to food insecurity. People affected by natural disasters, who migrate to other areas in search of work, are among the most food-insecure people. A large proportion of pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of 5 years constitute an important segment of the food-insecure population.
Another aspect of food insecurity is hunger, which is not just an expression of poverty; it brings about poverty. Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions. Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or quality. Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting.
Since Independence, India has been aiming at self-sufficiency in food grains. After Independence, Indian policymakers adopted all measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. In the field of agriculture, India adopted a new strategy, which resulted in the ‘Green Revolution’.
Since the Green Revolution, the country has avoided famine even during adverse weather conditions. India has become self-sufficient in food grains during the last 30 years because of a variety of crops grown all over the country. The availability of food grains has been ensured with a carefully designed food security system by the government. This system has two components: (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system.
Buffer stock is the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice, procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The stock of wheat and rice is purchased by the FCI from the farmers where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops, called Minimum Support Price (MSP). Every year, the MSP is declared by the government before the sowing season to provide incentives to farmers for raising the production of these crops. Buffer Stock is created to distribute food grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer section of society at a price lower than the market price, also known as Issue Price.
FCI distributes the food procured from the farmer through government-regulated ration shops. It is called the Public Distribution System (PDS). Ration shops, also known as Fair Price Shops, keep stock of food grains, sugar, and kerosene for cooking. Rationing in India was introduced during the 1940s against the backdrop of the Bengal famine. In the mid-1970s, three important food intervention programmes were introduced:
Public Distribution System (PDS) for food grains
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
Food-for-Work (FFW)
At present, there are several Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAPs), mostly in rural areas, which have an explicit food component also. Employment programmes greatly contribute to food security by increasing the income of the poor.
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the most important step taken by the Government of India towards ensuring food security. In 1992, a Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) was introduced in the country. In June 1997, the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was introduced to adopt the principle of targeting the ‘poor in all areas’. In 2000, two special schemes were launched Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS).
Over the years, the PDS proved to be the most effective instrument of government policy in stabilising prices and making food available to consumers at affordable prices. However, the Public Distribution System has faced severe criticism on several grounds. A high level of buffer stocks of food grains is very undesirable and wasteful. In states such as Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, mainly two crops — wheat and rice— are grown. The intensive utilisation of water in the cultivation of rice has also led to environmental degradation and a fall in the water level, threatening the sustainability of agricultural development in these states.
PDS dealers started malpractice like diverting the grains to the open market to get better margins, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, irregularly opening the shops, etc. In recent years, there has been another factor that has led to the decline of the PDS. The three types of cards and the range of prices that you see today did not exist. Now, with TPDS of three different prices, any family above the poverty line gets a very little discount at the ration shop. The price for APL families is almost as high as the open market price, so there is little incentive for them to buy these items from the ration shop.
In India, cooperatives also play an important role in food security, especially in the southern and western parts of the country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low-priced goods to poor people. Some examples of cooperative societies are Mother Dairy in Delhi, Amul from Gujarat, and the Academy of Development Science (ADS) in Maharashtra.
Summary: Food security refers to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all people. It depends on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government action during times of threat. Food security has three dimensions: availability, accessibility, and affordability. It is ensured when enough food is available, people can buy food of acceptable quality, and there are no barriers to access. Natural calamities can lead to food shortages and increased prices, causing starvation and potentially famine. In India, those most affected by food insecurity include people with little or no land, traditional artisans, and the destitute. Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions, and India has aimed for self-sufficiency in food grains since Independence. The country has avoided famine through the Green Revolution and a carefully designed food security system with buffer stocks and the Public Distribution System (PDS). The PDS distributes food through ration shops, and various poverty alleviation programs contribute to food security. However, the PDS has faced criticism for issues such as high buffer stocks, environmental degradation, and malpractices by dealers. Cooperatives also play a role in food security in India.
Food security means the availability, accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times. Food security depends on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government vigilance and action at times when this security is threatened.
Food security has the following dimensions
(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.
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
(3) There is no barrier to access to food.
During natural calamities, such as drought, the production of food grains decreases, creating a shortage of food in the affected areas. The prices increase due to a shortage of food. People cannot afford to buy food, and if such a calamity happens in a very widespread area or is stretched over a longer period, it might cause a situation of starvation. Massive starvation might turn into a famine. A Famine is characterised by widespread deaths due to starvation and epidemics caused by the forced use of contaminated water or decaying food and loss of body resistance due to weakening from starvation.
In India, a large section of people suffer from food and nutrition insecurity. People having little or no land, traditional artisans, providers of traditional services, petty self-employed workers, and the destitute, including beggars, are the worst affected groups. In the urban areas, food-insecure families are those who are generally employed in ill-paid occupations and the casual labour market. These workers are largely engaged in seasonal activities and are paid very low wages.
The social composition, along with the inability to buy food, also plays a role in food insecurity. People of SC, ST and OBC communities who have either poor land base or very low land productivity are prone to food insecurity. People affected by natural disasters, who migrate to other areas in search of work, are among the most food-insecure people. A large proportion of pregnant and nursing mothers and children under the age of 5 years constitute an important segment of the food-insecure population.
Another aspect of food insecurity is hunger, which is not just an expression of poverty; it brings about poverty. Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions. Chronic hunger is a consequence of diets persistently inadequate in terms of quantity and/or quality. Seasonal hunger is related to cycles of food growing and harvesting.
Since Independence, India has been aiming at self-sufficiency in food grains. After Independence, Indian policymakers adopted all measures to achieve self-sufficiency in food grains. In the field of agriculture, India adopted a new strategy, which resulted in the ‘Green Revolution’.
Since the Green Revolution, the country has avoided famine even during adverse weather conditions. India has become self-sufficient in food grains during the last 30 years because of a variety of crops grown all over the country. The availability of food grains has been ensured with a carefully designed food security system by the government. This system has two components: (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system.
Buffer stock is the stock of food grains, namely wheat and rice, procured by the government through the Food Corporation of India (FCI). The stock of wheat and rice is purchased by the FCI from the farmers where there is surplus production. The farmers are paid a pre-announced price for their crops, called Minimum Support Price (MSP). Every year, the MSP is declared by the government before the sowing season to provide incentives to farmers for raising the production of these crops. Buffer Stock is created to distribute food grains in the deficit areas and among the poorer section of society at a price lower than the market price, also known as Issue Price.
FCI distributes the food procured from the farmer through government-regulated ration shops. It is called the Public Distribution System (PDS). Ration shops, also known as Fair Price Shops, keep stock of food grains, sugar, and kerosene for cooking. Rationing in India was introduced during the 1940s against the backdrop of the Bengal famine. In the mid-1970s, three important food intervention programmes were introduced:
Public Distribution System (PDS) for food grains
Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)
Food-for-Work (FFW)
At present, there are several Poverty Alleviation Programmes (PAPs), mostly in rural areas, which have an explicit food component also. Employment programmes greatly contribute to food security by increasing the income of the poor.
The Public Distribution System (PDS) is the most important step taken by the Government of India towards ensuring food security. In 1992, a Revamped Public Distribution System (RPDS) was introduced in the country. In June 1997, the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) was introduced to adopt the principle of targeting the ‘poor in all areas’. In 2000, two special schemes were launched Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Annapurna Scheme (APS).
Over the years, the PDS proved to be the most effective instrument of government policy in stabilising prices and making food available to consumers at affordable prices. However, the Public Distribution System has faced severe criticism on several grounds. A high level of buffer stocks of food grains is very undesirable and wasteful. In states such as Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, mainly two crops — wheat and rice— are grown. The intensive utilisation of water in the cultivation of rice has also led to environmental degradation and a fall in the water level, threatening the sustainability of agricultural development in these states.
PDS dealers started malpractice like diverting the grains to the open market to get better margins, selling poor quality grains at ration shops, irregularly opening the shops, etc. In recent years, there has been another factor that has led to the decline of the PDS. The three types of cards and the range of prices that you see today did not exist. Now, with TPDS of three different prices, any family above the poverty line gets a very little discount at the ration shop. The price for APL families is almost as high as the open market price, so there is little incentive for them to buy these items from the ration shop.
In India, cooperatives also play an important role in food security, especially in the southern and western parts of the country. The cooperative societies set up shops to sell low-priced goods to poor people. Some examples of cooperative societies are Mother Dairy in Delhi, Amul from Gujarat, and the Academy of Development Science (ADS) in Maharashtra.
Summary: Food security refers to the availability, accessibility, and affordability of food for all people. It depends on the Public Distribution System (PDS) and government action during times of threat. Food security has three dimensions: availability, accessibility, and affordability. It is ensured when enough food is available, people can buy food of acceptable quality, and there are no barriers to access. Natural calamities can lead to food shortages and increased prices, causing starvation and potentially famine. In India, those most affected by food insecurity include people with little or no land, traditional artisans, and the destitute. Hunger has chronic and seasonal dimensions, and India has aimed for self-sufficiency in food grains since Independence. The country has avoided famine through the Green Revolution and a carefully designed food security system with buffer stocks and the Public Distribution System (PDS). The PDS distributes food through ration shops, and various poverty alleviation programs contribute to food security. However, the PDS has faced criticism for issues such as high buffer stocks, environmental degradation, and malpractices by dealers. Cooperatives also play a role in food security in India.
