CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 VOLUME IX MADRAS PART XI-B FOOD HABITS IN MADRAS STATE P. K. NAMBIAR OF THE INDIAN ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE SUPERINTENDE:-lT OF CENSUS OPERATIONS, MADRAS 1964 CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 Census Report-Vol. IX will relate to Madras State only. Under this series will be issued the following Publications. Par t I-A General Report (2 Volumes) I-B Demography and Vital Statistics '" I-C Subsidiary Tables * P ar t II-A General Population Tables * II-B (I) General Economic Tables B-1 to B-IV * II-B (II) General Economic Tables B-V to B-IX * II-C (l) Cultural Tables II-C (H) Migration Tables Par t III Household Economic Tables * Part IV-A Report on Housing and Establishments * IV--B Housing and Establishment Tables Pa rt V-A Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Report & Tables) V-B Ethnographic Notes on Scheduled Tribes V-C Todas V-D Ethnographic Notes on Scheduled Castes V-E Ethnographic Notes on Denotified and Nomadic Tribes .p art VI Village Survey Monographs (40 Nos_) * Par t VII-A Crafts and Artisans (9 Nos.) VII-B Fairs and Festivals *PartVIII-A Administration Report-EnumeratiOn} For oflicial use only * VIII-B Administration Report-Tabulation Pa rt IX Atlas of the Madras State Part X Madras City (2 Volumes) District Census Handbooks on twelve districts Part XI Reports on Special Studies '" A Handlooms in Madras State t B Food Habits in Madras State C Slums of Madras City D Temples of Madras State (5 Volumes) '" E Physically Handicapped of Madras State F Family Planning Attitudes: A Survey Pa rt XII Languages of Madras State , ,_ --------- * ALREADY PUBLISHED tTHE PRESENT VOLUME PREFACE III his desire to enrich the Census literature, Sri A. Mitra, Registrar General. India. has followed a liberal policy of encouraging the Census Superintendents to take up special studies on any subject relating to their Stales. I have utilised his generosity and taken up some special studies on Madras State. I have already published two reports, one on Handlooms and the other on the Physically Handicapped. This is the third in the series which is on Food Habits in Madras State. Food is a living problem, but it is also a controversial problem. As such, it is with some diffidence that I present this report to the reader. Sri Mitra has been good enough to read through the original draft and suggest to me a re-orientation in my approach, that is: from a sample study to a general study. Sri T. B. Bharathi, Deputy Superintendent of Census Operations, who has \vorkcd with me for the last [our years has beel! in charge of this study. As an officer of (he Madras Civil Service, he had not only an opportunity to know the conditions in Madras State, but was also intimately connected with the foodgrain programmes of the Madras Government. His ~pccial knowledge was useful in the study. He has taken great pains in collecting a lot of valuable data from various sources. He has also made an intelligent and deep analysis of the data and given me a self-contained and useful draft. 1 have recorded a few conclusiolls~ but whatever be their merit, I have no doubt that the data contained in this book have great potential value. Sri N. Rama Rao, Tabulation OffIcer, has been closely associated with the study as the Statistician. He has also taken pains in reading the proof and getting the volume printed quickly. I also wish to thank the United Printers, Madras for printing this volume in record time. The maps have been prepared by Sri M. Ganesh Lal, the Cartographer attached to my Ofi1ce. P. K. N A M B I A R CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I Introduction II Cereal habits 7 III Level of consumption of cereals 16 IV Movement of cereals 21 V Projections of demand for and supply of cereals 25 VI Milk 31 VII Sugar and Jaggery 41 VIII Pulses 44 IX Non-vegetarian foods 48 X Other subsidiary items of food 53 XI General pattern of food 61 XlI Integrated approach to the problem of food production 64 Appendices (I to X) 69 ILLUSTRATIONS MAPS FACING PAGE Cereal habits 4 2 Movements of paddy and rice in Madras State 24 3 Actual consumption in households and nutritional requirement 62 CHARTS Distribution of rice eaters etc., in Madras State 16 2 Comparative position of production and consumptiell of cereals in the various districts 18 3 Trend in the growth of urban population 26 4 Lorenz and specific concentration curves (cereals) for rural areas 28 5 Lorenz and specific concentration curves (cereals) for urban areas 28 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Challenge of 1951 Census cultivation reflects the high proportion of foodgrairis, 1. In his able report on the Census of India 1951, especially cereals in our diet. If we are to have more Sri R. A. Gopalaswami, the then Registrar General, vegetable oil and more ghee, more milk and butter has recorded some thought-provoking and bold milk, more vegetables and fruits, more sugar and spices conclusions on the future of this country. One is that in our food-more of these are badly needed if we are we cannot grow as much food as we shall need if we to have better nutrition-we have to increase the go on increasing in numbers as we do. It is possible production of all food crops, rather than food grains. to overcome the food shortage on a permanent basis by taking suitable measures over an extended period of It is, therefore, clear that in tackling any food 15 years. For this purpose, development of agricul­ problem, we have not only to examine the quantity of tural productivity on an even larger scale than that food, but also it~ quality. An attempt has been made undertaken in the First Five Year Plan would be in the food survey conducted by us to study the quality necessary. Secondly, births should be limited to of food consumed by the people of Madras State, so approximate parity with death and a substantially that it will help us in understanding the nutritional stationary population achieved. This could be food needs of the State. Agriculture in Madras State achieved if what is described as improvident maternity is more productive than in India as a whole; the yield could be avoided by most married couples. Improvi­ of rice per acre in Madras State for an average year dent maternity consists of all births occurring to during the period 1956-58 was 1,272 pounds as mothers who have already had three or more children against 1,160 pounds in all India. During the when at least one of them is alive. These two seven years 1949-50 to 1956-57 production of food measures, according to him, are essential to raise the grains in Madras State increased by 16'3 lakh tons or level of nutrition and the standard of living of the roughly 54%. This rise had one significant effect. people and the improvement of public health and for It converted Madras from a net importer to a nearly securing for the citizens, men and women equally, the self-sufficient State. right to adequate means of livelihood. This bold challenge thrown to the nation has shaped the thinking of all planners including the Planning Commission. Food Problem in retrospect The attention of the country has been diverted to the improvement of agricultural productivity in all 3. From the 18th Century, Madras has been sectors and to a lesser extent for limiting the deficit in food supply. An English writer has recorded population of the country. as follows: "Madras with most of other places on the coast of Coromondel (which is in general barren and does not produce grain enough for the subsistence of its Its impact on Madras State inhabitants) is obliged to be yearly supplied from the more fertile coasts of Orissa and Bengal, with vast 2. It is our purpose to examir.e in this report how quantities of rice, which is the chief food of most of far his observations are valid as far as Madras State is the people of the East Indies; so that an enemy that is concerned. Actually, the population forecast made by superior at sea may easily distress them very much by Sri R. A. Gopalaswami for all-India has been exceeded taking the vessel laden with rice coming from the by the actual count in 1961 Census. But in Madras Northward." In the 18th and 19th Centuries, a policy of the percentage increase in population during 1951-61 laissez jaire was followed by the British Government. has fallen short of that of India, 11'8 as against 21'5. It depended on foreign imports. But still famines This trend is likely to be maintained and with the occurred. A list of famines and scarcities which greater emphasis given to Family Planning, the food threatened Madras will be found in Appendix I. The problem cannot be that serious in Madras State. As attitude of the Government towards famine will be observed by Sri Gopalaswami, the high proportion of found in the Famine Code published by the Government foodgrains especially cereals to all crops in our of Madras: "The proximate cause of a famine in time 2 FOOD HABITS IN MADRAS STATE of peace is the failure of crops resulting from insuffi­ harvest in 1952-53. The lowest price level was cient or untimely rainfall...... In such circumstances, r~corded in June 1953. seeing that it has been recognised as incumbent on the State to take steps to avert the loss of human life India has 14% of the world's population, but only which is likely to ensue if means of subsistence are 2% of the total land.