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| Can India feed its population? | | | by Ranjit Singh
Although India’s population is increasing at a fast rate, the production rate of foodgrains was higher than the population growth rate till the eighties. From 1990 onwards there is a reversal in this trend.
World Food Day was celebrated on Monday. World Watch Institute, a major think tank, has predicted that India will need to import grains heavily by the year 2030.
It is a big challenge before the country. Under the leadership of Dr Manmohan Singh the present Government has realised that the growth rate in agriculture must reach four per cent, which is not only essential to feed the population but also for accelerating national development.
The first Green Revolution raised the productivity of the three main staple food crops — rice, wheat, and corn. The second green revolution will only be possible by raising the productivity of other important food crops considered as inferior grains, such as sorghum, millet and cassava, which are foods produced and consumed mainly by the country’s poor. About 70 per cent of the cultivable land has no irrigation facility and about 40 per cent food is produced from this area.
The above mentioned crops are mainly grown under rainfed conditions. In order to increase the production of these crops our scientists have to develop high yielding varieties in addition to improving irrigation facilities.
According to Dr M.S. Swaminathan food production can be increased by preventing the diversion of prime farm land to non-farm uses, closing the prevailing gap between potential and actual yields and enlarging the components of the food basket through diversification of diets and more extensive inclusion of millet, pulses, vegetables and fruits.
Rapid fragmentation of land holdings is another serious problem. In 1976-77 the average size of the holdings was estimated at two hectares, which now stands at 0.2 hectares and may come down to 0.11 hectares in the next decade. We have to make special efforts to develop small and marginal farmers and at the same time divert a sizeable number of them to other occupations.
In order to win the food race a coordinated approach at national and local level is required. It will require cooperation among policies and programmes in agriculture, resource management, health care including family planning and economic development. With an efficient educational programme accompanied by services and supplies we can stabilise our population.
Similarly, a planned programme of agricultural development will be able to double our production by 2047. Small and marginal farmers can only survive if they go in for organised or contract farming. A group of farmers can organise themselves to procure inputs to obtain technical advice, and for processing and marketing of the produce.
They can organise themselves under village cooperative societies. Contract farming must ensure that approved inputs at subsidised rates are given to the farmers. They must be adequately compensated in case of crop failures. They should also be given remunerative prices for the produce by reducing the share of the middle man which presently is even more that the share received by the producer.
We also have to encourage organic farming in order to improve quality of the produce and reducing the cost of production. It will also help in protecting the environment.
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