Globally 30 percent of the food produced never reaches to a human stomach (FAO, 2021). Tackling food loss and waste benefits the climate, food security, and sustainability of agri-food systems. India suffers
The current food crisis is nature's way of cocking a snook at man's pompousness. With all the tall claims of progress in science, we are yet to find a permanent solution for the most basic of needs i.e., food. Food riots have been reported from a number of countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Haiti and the Philippines. Elsewhere the prices of edible commodities are hitting the roof.
For a government under great pressure to contain the rising prices of essential commodities, especially food items, the overall message from the third advance estimates of food production (2007-08) ought to be most welcome. The aggregate production will touch a record high of 227.32 million tonnes (MT), 10 MT more than the final estimate for last year. Domestic production of the two principal staples, rice and wheat, are also expected to set new records.
Mangoes will taste bitter this season as excessive rainfall and shortage of supply hikes prices The king of fruits may be in town, but it is coming with a big price tag this season. Untimely heavy rainfall in Konkan region has resulted in massive damage to crops and a severe shortage of supply. According to figures available at retailers and wholesalers, the supply of mangoes, especially those of the alphonso variety, is upto 50 per cent less this year compared to last year.
The robust performance of food and non-food crops in 2007-08, as reflected in the latest crop estimates released by Krishi Bhawan, should provide relief to an inflation-battered economy as also to a government struggling to deal with the high prices of essential items. The projected 4.6 per cent growth in foodgrain output, backed by record harvests of wheat, rice, coarse cereals, pulses and oilseeds, is significant in several respects.
The Delhi Grain Merchants Association on Wednesday threatened to stop purchasing fresh stocks of food grain if the state 'government continued its raids in shops. DGMA president 0 P Jain warned that their decision not to buy fresh stocks might result in spiralling prices due to grain scarcity. Jain said food grain traders were being targeted in the name of hoarding despite "prices being under check." "We cannot be blamed for scarcity and increase of prices of food grains in coming days as the government does not want us to keep stock," Gupta said.
Governor, Lt. Gen (Retd) S. K. Sinha has appreciated the headway made by Sher-i-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences & Technology (SKUAST), Jammu in academic and research fields during the past few years even as Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad urged agricultural scientists in Jammu & Kashmir to prepare for the impending challenge of food shortage likely to confront the world.
The world's food security structure seems to be crumbling and could give way to a serious crisis if not tackled on a war footing. Of course many factors -rising population, increasing demand for food in faster developing nations like India and China, drought conditions in many parts of world, expanding acreage for cash crops and finally diversion of farmlands to grow corn in America, Latin America and Europe for producing ethanol are responsible for depleting food stocks. But mainly it the sheer greed of oil producing countries that has driven the food prices to new unaffordable heights.
The real solution for meeting shortages is to increase supplies instead of imposing controls. There is ample scope for increasing production of food grains -Brij Bhardwaj
India may be worried about smuggling of drugs, arms and ammunition and infiltration of jehadis from across the border but Pakistan seems to be more concerned at the possibility of smuggling of rice, pulses and wheat from its territory. Skyrocketing prices in India has "forced' Pakistan to send an urgent missive to its Rangers deployed along the Indo-Pak border to check any possibility of smuggling of pulses, rice, wheat and flour to India and other countries.
Even as the debate over foodgrain scarcity being a major cause for the current inflationary trend rages, an advance estimate released by the government on Tuesday said foodgrain production in the country touched a record 227.32 million tonnes during 2007-08. The 3rd Advance Estimate, according to department of agriculture and cooperation, is based on feedback received from the states and validated with information available from other sources.
