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| J&K on the brink of starvation | | Food deficit to touch 60 percent by 2020, Supreme Court strongly rebuts govt claims | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Oct 9: Unyielding, ill-conceived and illogical stated positions of so-called separatist leaders and mainstream political parties has begun pushing slowly but steadily the beautiful valley of Kashmir to the brink of starvation.
Strife has already wreaked havoc and caused irreparable damage to the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. Frequent long protests, strikes, curfews and hartals (strike action) in the valley since the militancy began in 1989 has further increased vulnerability of the valley since these have by and large always hindered smooth move of food supplies in the state.
These spine-chilling facts have been brought forth in a survey of the status of actual implementation of food, social security and livelihood schemes in Kashmir carried out by Commissioners of the Supreme Court in the wake of directions issued for the same in the case PUCL vs. Union of India and others (CWP 196/2001), popularly known as right to food case.
The survey covered 50 villages in the 10 districts of the valley including Anantnag, Kulgam, Pulwama, Shopian, Srinagar, Budgam, Ganderbal, Bandipora, Baramulla and Kupwara. It has unveiled that Jammu and Kashmir faces a massive deficit of 40 percent in foodgrain, 70 percent in oilseeds and 30 percent in vegetables. In sharp contrast to the popular belief that Jammu has not suffered much, survey has unveiled that food deficit is spread almost equally through both the regions of Kashmir and Jammu.
It has said that productivity level of all agricultural crops in the state is lower than the national average, which however provides scope to increase productivity in the state. According to supreme court survey; In Kashmir, the official estimates are that against a requirement of over 10.20 lakh metric tons of food-grains, the production has been 6.32 lakh metric tons during 2006-07, leaving deficit of about 42 percent in meeting local food grain requirements.
Survey has indicated that Kashmir also produces a huge variety of temperate fruits and nuts under which an area of 1.75 lakh hectares is under cultivation, with an annual production of 12.28 lakh metric tons. However, these are cash crops and offer much better economic yields but cannot be a substitute to basic food like cereals and pulses, maintains the study.
Interestingly, contrary to claims of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his coterie, food deficit has increased over the last three decades in the Kashmir region. In 1980-81, the Kashmir valley had a food deficit of 23 percent for a total population of 33 lakhs, while in 2005-06 the food deficit reached 40 percent for a population of 60 lakhs, the survey has found out.
The survey has rebutted claims of agriculture department and found out that valley suffers from 44 percent deficit in food production, 33 in vegetable production and 69 in oilseed production. It has further said that increase in production of food grains has not been in proportion to the increase in the population over the last two and half decades in Kashmir region. In 1950, the deficit in food grains was 32 percent and the deficit decreased to 23 percent by 1980, because the total production rate increased by 136.03 percent whereas the total population increase was just 82.10 percent in this period of 30 years.
Rate of increase in population has slightly increased from 1980 to 2005, with almost 83.08 percent total increase in these 25 years, but there has not been a corresponding increase in the production of food grains, with only 27.33 percent total increase in this time period, study affirms. Therefore, the deficit again increased to over 40 percent in 2005.
Report has said that other than the low increase in the production rate of food grains, the other prime reasons for the deceleration of agricultural growth has been conversion of land into the rain-fed horticulture and commercial purposes. It has referred to another report 'on the brink' which has pointed out that almost 11909 kanals (1475.76 acres) of paddy land has been converted into rain-fed dry land in the districts of Kupwara, Baramula, Bandipore, Budgam, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian in recent years.
Supreme Court report has added that major reason for this conversion has been water scarcity. Among other reasons, report has revealed that farmers also cited poor quality and lack of availability of seeds affecting crop yield. It has stressed that better economic returns and fewer inputs in horticulture may also be the reasons for switching over to the cash crops.
Court study pointed out that residential colonies, brick-kilns and shopping malls have been constructed on hundreds of acres of agricultural land and that too, in contravention to the Revenue Act of the state that bars conversion of any land under cultivation of paddy, maize, vegetable or saffron. It has categorically stated that state government has not been able to implement the Act in its letter and spirit.
Report has warned that Kashmir's current 44 percent food grain deficit is likely to touch over 60 percent in the coming 10 years, if the current rate of change of converting paddy land into rain-fed orchards continues posing more problems for the state to ensure the availability of the food to its people. |
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