Lessons from India’s food security response

Context: Government measures to tackle the food crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic were effective.

‘Dramatic worsening’ of world hunger in 2020 

• Much of the rise in hunger related to the fallout of COVID-19.                                  
• ‘The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World’ report: Estimates that around a tenth of global population, up to 81.1 crore persons, were undernourished in 2020.

India’s self-sufficiency in food production

• Riding on Green Revolution progress in food production.
• Record harvest over last few years: In 2020, India produced over 30 crore tonnes of cereals and had built up a food stock of 10 crore tonnes. 
• Food exports: India exported a record 1.98 crore tonnes of rice and wheat in FY21.

Government measures towards ensuring food security amidst pandemic

• Public Distribution System (PDS) – Lifeline during pandemic: 
• Robust Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) buffered vulnerable and marginalised families against food crisis.
• Pandemic optimisation: States were allowed to lift their allocations for six months in one go in anticipation of a surge in demand for food grains through public distribution system.
• There was an unprecedented spike in uptake of subsidised and free food grains during lockdown.
• Increased entitlements to National Food Safety Act (NFSA) beneficiaries: 
• Under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), 81.3 crore NFSA beneficiaries received an additional 5 kg of food grains per person per month and 1 kg of pulses per family per month, free of cost, for eight months from April to November 2020.
• Under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package, eight crore migrants were provided 5 kg of food grains per month.
• Record distributions: During the third phase of PMGKAY, 89% of allocated food grains were distributed to beneficiaries. The distribution reached 94% in May.
• Leveraging stock with Food Corporation of India (FCI): Allowed NGOs/civil society organisations to buy rice and wheat at subsidised prices directly from nearby FCI warehouses.
• ‘Leave No One Behind’ approach: Ensuring that food support focuses on at-risk groups, including persons with disabilities, elderly, single women-led households, transgender persons, HIV-affected persons, displaced persons, refugees and orphan children.

Way forward

• Implement One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) scheme: Scheme takes massive digitisation of supply chain, distribution and access to the next step, ensuring anyone benefits from anywhere in India.
• Building climate change resilient agriculture: Introduction of newer varieties of crops, efficient irrigation systems, and promotion of crops as per agro-climate zones need to be taken as a priority.
• Focus on preventing losses: A third of all food produced is wasted. 
• Lost or wasted energy used for food production accounts for 10% of the world’s total energy consumption, and annual greenhouse gas emissions associated with food losses and food waste reaches around 3.5 gigatonnes of CO2 equivalent.
• Coordinating global efforts: 2021 offers a unique opportunity for advancing food security and nutrition through transforming food systems with upcoming UN Food Systems Summit, Nutrition for Growth Summit and COP26 on climate change.
• India has a central role to play: Offering experiences and solutions to address thought processes and models for a resilient, equitable, and food-secure world.