Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 30 (No.1) January-June 2017 pp 1-21 DOI: 10.5958/0974-0279.2017.00001.5 Presidential Address Food and Nutrition Security in India: The Way Forward§ Praduman Kumar Division of Agricultural Economics, ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi-110 012 I am extremely thankful to all the esteemed been triggered by the Green, White and Blue members of Agricultural Economics Research Revolutions involving development and diffusion of Association (AERA) for honouring me as the President varieties, breads, and fish species turnover in the of 2016 Conference. I am associated with AERA since country. This has been accompanied by increased levels its formation in 1986, and I got wonderful opportunities of inputs-use, mechanization and policy support. Public to work with the AERA family during the past three and private investments in infrastructure, research and decades. Professionally, I got outstanding opportunities extension, coupled with price support and other policies to contribute in diverse areas working with a large have significantly helped in increasing food production number of students and colleagues in NDRI, IARI and and its availability. international research organizations and got India had a population of 1.03 billion in 2001 which overwhelming support from my teachers and students increased to 1.21 billion in 2011 (Census of India. in shaping my future. I have been conducting research 2011). The proportion of population below poverty line for almost 40 years now and I have contributed to (BPL) grew at the rate of 2.12 per cent per annum in different sectors of agriculture including water the decade of 1991 to 2001, but it declined to 1.76 per management, livestock, crops, and fisheries. I have cent per annum during the decade of 2001 to 2011. developed some econometric models for policy During the past few decades, the country has also analysis and have written extensively in the areas of witnessed a decline in the magnitude of population total factor productivity, demand supply projections, below the poverty line (BPL). The percentage of BPL price models and household food and nutrition security. population declined from 35.97 per cent in 1993-94 to The theme I have chosen for my presidential address 27.5 per cent in 2004-05 and further to 21.9 per cent in is “Food and Nutrition Security in India: The Way 2010-11 (NSSO Statistics, different rounds). Forward”. As per estimates, some 293 million undernourished Introduction and 266 million poor people live in India. India is home to one-fourth of the world’s undernourished and poor India has a huge population pressure on land and people. It is found that poverty in India is mainly a other natural resources to meet its food and rural phenomenon; urban poverty is also an indirect development needs. Food production and socio- effect of rural poverty. The percentage of population economic status of rural people determine the growth under the poverty line might have declined but the of agriculture and rural prosperity. During the past four overall food and nutrition security has remained the decades, the country has made remarkable progress in focus of agriculture and food policy. Food security has food and agricultural production. These changes have been a very sensitive issue in India as it has the largest concentration of poor in the world. After nearly *Email: [email protected] achieving self-sufficiency in staple food production, § Based on the Presidential Address delivered at 24th Annual Conference of Agricultural Economics Research Association the Government of India has launched a number of (India) held during 15-17 December, 2016 at ICAR-Indian programs under production (supply side), distribution Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Uttar Pradesh. and consumption (demand side) across the country. 2 Agricultural Economics Research Review Vol. 30 (No.1) January-June 2017 Currently, around half of India’s population is covered The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) III by one or the other scheme in which subsidized staple (2005-06) has reported the key facts related to the food is made available to the people. health and nutritional status of the sample households in the country. It has estimated that nearly 40.4 per India has made a substantial progress in foodgrains cent of the children under than three are underweight production by adopting a new agricultural strategy. As and 44.9 per cent are stunted; 36 per cent of adult a result, foodgrain production in the country increased women and 34 per cent of adult men suffer with chronic from 115.6 Mt in 1960-61 to 241.4 Mt in 2010-11. energy deficiency; and 79 per cent of children and 56 Despite such an achievement, India lags much behind per cent of women are anaemic (IIPS and Macro on nutrition security frontier. Horticulture has emerged as an indispensable part of agriculture, offering a wide International, 2007). During the period 2000 to 2016, range of choices to the farmers for crop diversification the share has declined of undernourished population and much-needed nutrition to the people. The crop from 17 per cent to 15.2 per cent, wasted children (over diversification is driven by rising population, economic 5 years) from 17.1 to 15.1 per cent, stunted children growth, increasing urbanization and changing tastes (less than 5 years) from 54.2 to 38.7 per cent and under- and preferences. Thus, the demand for non-cereal crops 5 mortality has declined from 9.1 to 4.8 per cent. is growing continuously in the country. The changing However, the rank of India slipped from 83 to 97 in consumption pattern is not only a result of demand the past 15 years among 118 countries covered in the side factors but from the nutrition point of view also, Global Hunger Index 2016. Today, India’s ranking is it is important to diversify the food consumption basket. lower than what it was 15 years ago, with the food security status reaching an alarming stage. Coupled with the general increase in consumption expenditure, there have been changes in food diversity Food Basket in India: Nutrition and Food by the people over time. The consumption of cereals, Trends particularly of coarse cereals, has been declining with time and this decline is being compensated by the It is well known that a wide range of nutrients such increasing consumption of high-value commodities as proteins, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals such as milk, vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, eggs, etc. are needed to carry the normal activities of human body. (Kumar, 1998; Kumar and Mathur, 1996; Kumar et These nutrients are present in most foods consumed al., 2007a; 2007b). The decline in cereals consumption daily in various proportions. However, some foods is being attributed to the changes in consumers’ tastes— provide only a few nutrients like sugar, edible oils, etc. from food to non-food items and, within the food group, Vitamins and minerals do not supply energy but they from cereals to non-cereals food items and from play an important role in the metabolic functioning of ‘coarse’ to ‘fine’ cereals. Several other studies (Chand the body. Thus, our diet must be well-balanced as to and Kumar, 2002; Mittal, 2007) have also provide all nutrients in proper proportions. Dietary acknowledged the growing demand for non-food grain, habits of people in different regions of the country are high-value commodities and have called for a shift in determined mainly by the availability of foods locally resource allocation so as to meet the growing demand and traditional practices. for horticultural, livestock and fisheries products. The dynamics of food consumption and nutrient In this context, a pertinent question that arises is intake of Indian households was investigated over the how the changing dietary pattern has influenced the past three decades based on nationally representative nutrients intake of people in India? It has been found sample survey data obtained from the NSSO. (Kumar et al., 2007b; Chand and Kumar, 2002) that Disparities in nutrition intake arise due to income the decline in per-capita consumption of cereals, differentials of the households. The food basket has particularly of coarse cereals, has worsened the become more diversified in all income groups in both nutritional status of the rural poor. This indicates that rural and urban households. The per capita at the aggregate level, the decline in calorie intake from consumption of cereals as food is declining while that cereals has, to a certain extent, been compensated by of non-cereals, such as horticultural, livestock and higher intake of calories from milk, vegetables, fruits, fisheries products, is increasing (Table 1). A declining meat, etc. trend has been observed in pulses consumption largely Kumar : Food and Nutrition Security in India 3 Table 1. Changing consumption pattern: India Table 3. Status of undernourished BPL and APL (kg/capita/year) population in India in 2011 and change in undernourished Indian population between Food groups 1983 2011 Change (%) 1983 and 2011 (Per cent of population) Cereals 168.0 133.4 -20.6 Pulses 11.8 10.0 -15.6 Nutrient deficiency Below poverty Above poverty Sugar 11.4 10.0 -12.2 line (BPL) line (APL) Edible oils 4.5 8.7 +78.5 population population Vegetables 47.9 56.2 +17.3 (2011) (2011) Fruits 3.3 11.9 +260 Milk 45.0 64.9 +44.3 Calories 87 55 Meat, fish & eggs 5.4 7.5 +39.7 Proteins 53 20 Calcium 97 48 Source: Calculated from various rounds of NSS consumer Fats 62 10 expenditure survey Zinc 76 52 Iron 15 2 because of high prices of pulses.