(GIST OF KURUKSHETRA) Making India the Feed Basket of the World

(FEBRUARY-2024)

Making India the Feed Basket of the World

Context:

Currently, India is the second-biggest producer of wheat and rice, the two staples. India can become the largest food supplier in the world. It has cultivable land, all the seasons for production of all varieties of fruits and vegetables, and an agribusiness system that works. By building an efficient and effective supply chain using state-of-the-art techniques, it is possible to serve the hungry with value-added food while simultaneously ensuring remunerative prices for the farmers.

Millets

India could help mitigate the world food crisis by offering millets. India is the largest producer of millets in the world. India’s two varieties of millets, namely pearl millet (bajra) and sorghum (jowar), will together contribute approximately 19 per cent in world production in 2020. India’s pearl millet production accounts for 40.51per cent followed by sorghum 8.09 per cent in the world production of millets in 2020. The major millet producing states in India are Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Together, these ten states account for around 98 per cent of millets production in India during the period 2020-21. Six states, namely Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat, account for more than 83 per cent of total millet production.
Terming millets as part of India’s ‘Super Food Bucket’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointed out that the nutri-rich coarse grain will reach every corner of the world just as Yoga did. "In India, we have given it (millets) the identity of Shree Anna. Millets are also the most secure crops for small farmers as they are resilient and climate-adaptable in both hot and drought environments. India produces all the nine commonly known traditional Millets, viz., sorghum, pearl millet, finger millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, little millet, barnyard millet, browntop millet, and kodo millet. Millet is a common term for categorising small-seeded grasses that are often called Nutri-cereals. Most of the states in India grow one or more millet crop species.
The Government of India spearheaded the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution for declaring the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets and the proposal of India was supported by 72 countries. Millets are making a resurgence in line with the International Year of Millets declared by the United Nations. These grains, some of the oldest in the world, are rich in protein, fiber, minerals, iron, calcium, and have a low glycaemic index. Their short growing season makes them ideal for multiple cropping systems, both under irrigation and dryland farming, and their long shelf life has earned them the status of famine reserves.
High-yielding varieties, including bio-fortified millets,have been introducedtoincrease production, and the Government has recognised the health benefits of millets by including them in the POSHAN Mission and designating them as nutri-cereals. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR) are promoting farmer producer organisations and startups to boost millet production as well as technology and value addition in the segment.

Food Processing Industry

The food processing industry has an important role to play while India seeks to create a food basket for the world. This is increasingly being done by linking the farmers to the final consumers in domestic as well as international markets. Food processing combined with marketing has the potential to solve the basic problems of agricultural surpluses, waste, rural jobs, and better remuneration for growers. In the next ten years, food production is expected to double.

Food Packaging

Packaging is also emerging as a key ingredient as the country marches towards creating a food basket for the world. Dairy products, edible oils, farm products, sugar, fruit juices, concentrates, preserves, hot and cold beverages, breakfast foods, biscuits, confectionery, and atta are some major foods of daily necessities, and through packaging, India is able to distribute these products worldwide.
Packages have become the competitive tool to reach the consumer, and the task assumes increasing responsibility with more and more competitive and substitute products being introduced. This has opened the sector for the introduction of modern technology for processing and packaging and the entry of a host of new organisations from all sectors of the economy, both domestic and overseas. Prime Minister Modi has himself disclosed that since 2014, India has been able to attract Rs. 50,000 crore in foreign direct investment (FDI) in the food and food processing sectors.

Food Supply Chain

Another key area that would go a long way for the country to become the food basket for the world is strengthening the Food Supply Chain. India is one of the largest food and grocery markets in the world, a large consumer of food products, and has a huge opportunity to become a leading global food supplier through the right marketing strategies and an agile, adaptive, and efficient supply chain. India has diversity in terms of its population, with several religious groups with different food habits and cultures. India is well positioned to translate this situation into an opportunity and create food hubs. Some of it could be the organic food hub, the vegetarian food hub, and the sea food hub among others. The food supply chain is complex, with perishable goods and numerous small stakeholders.

Conclusion

India can become the largest food supplier in the world. It has cultivable land, all the seasons for production of all varieties of fruits and vegetables, and an agribusiness system that works, although it needs to be improved. Shortcomings that need to be addressed are mostly in the area of supply chain management. By building an efficient and effective supply chain using state-of-the-art techniques, it is possible to serve the hungry with value-added food while simultaneously ensuring remunerative prices for the farmers.
The surplus of cereals, fruits, vegetables, milk, fish, meat, and poultry can be processed as value-added food products and marketed aggressively both locally and internationally. Investments in cold chain infrastructure, applied research in post-harvest technologies, the installation of food processing plants in various sectors, and the development of the food retailing sector are mandatory for achieving gains in this sector.