Topic: Food Security (ఆహార భద్రత) in India
1. Introduction
* This video discusses Food Security (ఆహార భద్రత), following the previous discussion on Agricultural Subsidies and Farmer Welfare.
* Food Security is presented as a supplementary topic within the Indian Agriculture Sector.
2. Need for Food Security & Challenges
* Driving Factor: India's growing population necessitates ensuring adequate food supply.
* Government Responsibility: To make food grains (ఆహార ధాన్యాలు) available to meet the needs of the increasing population.
* Challenge: India has not achieved complete self-sufficiency (సెల్ఫ్ సఫిషియన్సీ / స్వయం సమృద్ధి) in all agricultural products.
* Dependence: India still needs to import certain crops, indicating a gap in domestic production vs. demand.
3. Specific Deficiencies & Scope
* Pulses (పప్పు ధాన్యాలు): A major area of deficiency requiring significant imports annually.
* Edible Oils (వంట నూనెలు / తినదగిన నూనెలు): Also imported in large quantities.
* Broad Scope: Food security includes not just food grains but also pulses and oilseeds (నూనె గింజలు).
* Related Commercial Crops:
* Sugarcane (చెరుకు): Essential for sugar (పంచదార) production, which is part of the food system. Increasing sugarcane production is linked to food security goals.
* Cotton (పత్తి): Needed for the textile industry (వస్త్ర పరిశ్రమ). Developing domestic cotton production is important.
* Jute (జనుము): India is a top producer. Encouraging the jute industry (జనపనార పరిశ్రమ) is needed for related products and employment.
* Overall Strategy: Identify agricultural deficiencies and implement measures to achieve self-sufficiency and meet demand.
4. Government Initiatives & Timelines
* Efforts intensified around the 2007-08 financial year.
5. National Food Security Mission (NFSM - జాతీయ ఆహార భద్రతా మిషన్)
* Launched: 2007-08, coinciding with the start of the 11th Five Year Plan (11వ ప్రణాళిక).
* Initial Goal: Increase the production of key food grains to address deficits and meet rising demand.
* Targeted Crops (Initially): Rice (వరి), Wheat (గోధుమ), Pulses (పప్పు ధాన్యాలు).
* 11th Plan Targets (Additional Production):
* Rice: 10 million tonnes
* Wheat: 8 million tonnes
* Pulses: 2 million tonnes
* Total: 20 million tonnes
* 12th Plan Targets (Additional Production):
* Rice: 10 million tonnes
* Wheat: 8 million tonnes
* Pulses: 4 million tonnes
* Coarse Grains (ముతక ధాన్యాలు - Millets like సజ్జలు, జొన్నలు, మొక్కజొన్న, రాగులు): 3 million tonnes
* Total: 25 million tonnes
* NITI Aayog 3-Year Action Plan (2017-18 to 2019-20):
* Total Target: 13 million tonnes additional food grain production.
* Post-Action Plan Targets (approx. 2019-20 to 2022-23):
* Rice: 10.7 million tonnes
* Wheat: 1 million tonnes
* Pulses: 1.2 million tonnes
* Geographic Implementation (Current): 28 States + 2 UTs (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh).
* Geographic Targeting (Specific Districts within States/UTs):
* Rice: 193 districts (across 24 States + 2 UTs)
* Wheat: 124 districts (across 10 States + 2 UTs)
* Pulses: 644 districts (across 28 States + 2 UTs)
* Coarse Grains: 269 districts (across 26 States + 2 UTs)
* Nutri-Cereals/Millets (పోషక ధాన్యాలు / సిరి ధాన్యాలు): 212 districts (across 14 States)
* Expansion (NFSM - Commercial Crops / NFSM-CC):
* Launched/Modified: Around 2014-15.
* Focus: Sugarcane, Cotton, Jute.
* Targeting (States): Cotton (15), Sugarcane (13), Jute (9).
* Monitoring Structure:
* National General Council (Headed by Agriculture Minister)
* National Executive Committee (Headed by Agriculture Secretary)
* National Level Monitoring Teams (NLMTs - 8 teams with crop experts)
* State Executive Committee (Headed by Chief Secretary)
* District Committee (Headed by Collector)
* Funding Pattern:
* General States: Centre:State = 60:40
* North-Eastern/Himalayan States: Centre:State = 100:0 (Fully centrally funded)
* Fund Allocation Norms (Social Equity):
* Women Farmers: 30%
* Small & Marginal Farmers: 33%
* SC Farmers: 16%
* ST Farmers: 8%
6. National Food Security Act (NFSA - జాతీయ ఆహార భద్రతా చట్టం)
* Enacted: 2013
* Focus: Ensuring access to food grains for the population, especially vulnerable sections (Poor, Backward Classes). Complements the production focus of NFSM.
7. Promotion of Millets (Nutri-Cereals)
* Context: Linked to Doubling Farmers' Income (DFI) by promoting high-demand crops.
* International Year of Millets (IYOM): India proposed, UN declared 2023 as IYOM (supported by 72 nations).
* Goal: Increase global awareness, demand, domestic production, and farmer income.
* Key Actions:
* FAO opening ceremony event in Rome (Dec 6, 2022).
* GOI organized "Millet Lunch" in Parliament (Dec 20, 2022).
8. Targeting Rice Fallow Areas (TRFA)
* Objective: Promote crop diversification (పంటల వైవిధ్యం) by encouraging pulse cultivation in areas where rice is grown in Kharif, instead of growing rice again in Rabi.
* Benefits: Reduce rice surplus, increase domestic pulse production, decrease pulse import dependency (from countries like Malawi, Mozambique, Myanmar).
* Implementation: Started 2017-18, expanded 2019-20, now in 11 states.
* Impact: Added ~3.37 million hectares under pulse cultivation by 2021-22.
9. Edible Oils Scenario & Initiatives
* High Import Dependency: India is the 3rd largest importer of edible oils (after China, USA). Imports grew 174% in the last 10 years.
* Major Imported Oils: Palm Oil (57%), Soybean Oil (29%), Sunflower Oil (14%).
* Domestic Production: Key oilseeds are Soybean, Mustard/Rapeseed (ఆవాలు), Groundnut (వేరుశనగ) - these account for ~62% of domestic edible oil production share.
* Geographic Concentration (Domestic Production): 77% comes from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra.
* Initiative: National Mission on Edible Oils - Oil Palm (NMEO-OP) launched under NFSM to boost domestic production, especially of palm oil and other oilseeds.
Key Takeaway: India's food security strategy involves increasing domestic production of not only food grains but also pulses, oilseeds, and key commercial crops through targeted missions like NFSM, promoting diversification (Millets, TRFA), and addressing import dependencies, particularly in edible oils. Effective monitoring and equitable fund distribution are crucial components.
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