URGE FOR FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SECURITY IN INDIA
Saumya Jose – Sreelakshmi K S
ABSTRACT
In India with a five-fold increase in food grain production from 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to
about 250 million tonnes in 2014-15, India has moved away from dependence on food aid to
become a net food exporter. In 2016, the government launched a number of programmes to
double farmers' incomes by 2022. These seek to remove bottlenecks for greater agricultural
productivity, especially in rain-fed areas. India shares a quarter of the global hunger burden,
nearly 195 million undernourished people. India has made rapid strides in improving rates of
under and malnutrition. Between 2006 and 2016, stunting in children below five years declined
from 48% to 38%. Yet, India continues to have one of the world's highest child undernutrition
rates, impacting the child's health and development, performance in school and productivity in
adult life. Nearly 47 million or 4 out of 10 children in India are not meeting their full human
potential because of chronic undernutrition or stunting. Stunting has consequences such as
diminished learning capacity, poor school performance, reduced earnings and increased risks of
chronic diseases. The impacts are multi-generational as malnourished girls and women often give
birth to low birth-weight infants. There has also been an increase in the prevalence of overweight
and obesity in children and adolescents in India, which has life-long consequences of non-
communicable diseases in adulthood. The government has large food security and anti-poverty
programmes but there are critical gaps in terms of inclusion and exclusion errors. Women and
girls are particularly disadvantaged. Despite the achievement of national food self-sufficiency,
new challenges have emerged: Slowing agriculture growth, climate change, land degradation and
shrinking bio-diversity. Large tracts of farmlands in India have become barren due to imbalanced
fertiliser use and excessive use of a fertiliser, urea.
Keywords: Agricultural productivity, undernutrition rates, anti-poverty programmes
INTRODUCTION
India consists of almost 200 million people facing malnutrition, which highlights the urgent need
for improved food security systems. Despite making notable improvements in health indicators
and ranking second worldwide in farm output, the country continues to battle widespread
undernutrition (McKay et al., 2023).The migration of people from rural to urban areas has risen
significantly from 16.5% to 21.1% in recent years. This shift places additional pressure on urban
infrastructure and food systems. Food insecurity has intensified, contributing to high rates of
malnutrition, with nearly 200 million individuals affected. Around four out of ten children in
India are unable to reach their full developmental potential due to undernutrition (Patel &
Sharma, 2022).The Indian government has introduced several anti-poverty and nutrition
programs. However, many of these are not fully effective due to inadequate data and limited
accessibility. Agriculture productivity is stagnant in several areas due to constrained resources
and insufficient marketing support (Reddy, 2021).
New challenges such as climate change and land degradation are slowing down agricultural
growth and threatening food production. These environmental issues have further compounded
existing structural barriers to agricultural advancement (Kumar & Singh, 2020).Agriculture
remains central to India’s economy, contributing 18.8% to the Gross Value Added (GVA) and
being the largest employer in the country during 2021–2022. There is an increasing need to
reorient agro-food systems toward long-term sustainability and improved access to nutritious
food (Deshmukh, 2022).In urban areas, food insecurity ranges between 51% and 77%. Despite
this, more than 70% of India’s population resides in rural regions, where reliable data on food
insecurity is lacking or outdated, making targeted interventions more difficult (Chatterjee &
Banerjee, 2021).Even with India’s economic growth in recent years, the country continues to
struggle with extreme hunger and undernutrition. Strengthening public food programs like the
Public Distribution System (PDS) is essential to ensure access to subsidized food grains for
vulnerable populations (Joshi, 2020).
AVAILABILITY OF FOOD PRODUCTS
Food production is the base for food security. Food security is internationally defined as a
situation that exist when all people at all times have physical social and economic access to
sufficient safe and nutritious food that needs their dietary needs and food preferences for an
active and healthy life .The physical availability of food products within a location depends on
storage and transport infrastructure and market integration (FAO 2013 ).India is the third largest
producer of cereals and India occupies the first position in milk production and is the third largest
producer of fish and second largest producer of inland fisheries in the world and nearly 90
million people works in the livestock sector (Agriculture plays a vital role in ensuring food
security, both by producing food for consumption and by supporting the livelihoods of
approximately 36% of the global workforce. As the global population approaches 9.5 billion,
there is a growing need to meet increasing demand for food, fiber, and fuel, while minimizing
additional use of land, water, fossil fuels, and other finite resources.(Swami Nathan M S 2009).
In 2010, agricultural land around the world spanned 4,889 million hectares—reflecting a 7%
increase since 1970. Over the same period, global grain production rose from 1.2 billion to 2.5
billion tons annually, driven by advances in technology, changes in land management, and crop
breeding improvements. Developments in technology and the expansion of global trade networks
have also made it easier and more cost-effective to distribute agricultural goods and processed
food internationally.).More than 60% of the population of India resides in agriculture and allied
sectors for their livelihood hence it is essential for overall economic growth of the country.
According to the economic survey 2012 -2013 the agriculture and allied sectors contributed
14.5% of the gross domestic product .The livestock and fisheries sector contributed for 28.4% to
the value of output from total agriculture and allied activities in 2010-2011 (K M Singh [Link],
2021).The area of rice harvested in India was 44.5 million ha , which accounts for 26.58 % of the
world’s rice area in 2018.
Table 1: Area and production of major cereals crops in India .
Crop Area (mha) Production Productivity
(mt) (kg/ha)
Rice 47.83 137.83 2882
Wheat 31.4 113.29 3607
Maize 11.24 37.67 3350
Bajra 9.07 12.84 1415
Jowar 4.08 4.74 1162
Barley 0.63 1.91 3046
(USDA , 2024) , (Agro pages , 2024 )
Mostly 70 % of rural household depends on agriculture for their livelihood .Cereals contributes
of more than 90% of total food grain production in the country .(Jitendra Narayan [Link] , 2019 ).
In 2018-198 cereals contributed 92.3%of the total food grain production. Out of 65% of the food
grain production, cereals have contributed up to 50 % of the area and the rest are pulses.23% of
the total cultivated area is rice and is utilized by 2/3 rd of the population. The area contributed for
pearl millet, maize and sorghum is 5%,4%,and 4% respectively of the total cultivated area .
(Kohima Noopur [Link],2023 )
AVAILABILITY OF VEGETABLES IN INDIA
India has made measurable gains in vegetable production, with per capita availability increasing
by roughly 12 kilograms over the last decade (Economic Times, 2024). This reflects improved
agricultural practices, expansion in cultivable areas, and better yields. However, a considerable
portion of the total output—estimated between 30 to 35%—is lost annually due to inefficiencies
in the supply chain, including inadequate cold storage and poor logistics (Economic Times,
2024).Environmental fluctuations further strain vegetable availability. Extreme weather events
such as unseasonal rains, droughts, and heatwaves have reduced productivity and destabilized
prices. For instance, temperature spikes during critical growth phases significantly impact yield
— a pattern well documented by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR)
(Economic Times, 2024). To counteract price volatility and supply disruptions in essential crops
like onions and tomatoes, the government rolled out "Operation Greens." This scheme supports
post-harvest infrastructure and encourages value chain development through Farmer Producer
Organizations (Wikipedia, 2023).
AVAILABILITY OF FRUITS
The per capita availability of fruits in india has increased by 7kg over the past 10 decades .India
is producing around 227 kg of fruits and vegetables per person per year which exceeds the
general recommendation of 146kg per person annually.(Economic Times,2024).But the main
factors which are leading to inadequate food consumption are high prices of the produces ,low
income and social and geographical inequalities.(PMC, 2020).
Year Area (mha) Production (mt) Productivity Reference
(mt)
2020-2021 10.86 200.45 18.46 (Ministry of
Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare,
2021)
2021-2022 11 204.61 18.6 (National
Horticulture
Board, 2021)
2022-2023 11.2 207.21 18.5 (Indiastat, 2023)
2023-2024 11.5 210 18.26 (CEIC, 2023)
2024-25 11.7 214.56 18.33 (Directorate of
Economics and
Statistics, 2024)
UNEQUAL ACCESS TO FOOD IN INDIA
Food insecurity is considered as a public health concern in India .(Dhamija G [Link], 2021 ).India’s
farms are producing tons of rice wheat and pulses to meet national consumption needs . Any way
according to FAO,over 224 million Indians are undernourished .This data reveals the mismatch
between production levels and access to nutritious food .(FAO,2022).There are many families in
India who cant afford the value of food produces. Research from International Food policy
Research Institute found out that low income families has to spend a large portion of their income
that is up to 60% for food produces . (FPRI,2021)Rural areas in Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh and
Odisha reports some of the highest levels of food insecurity .The 2023 global hunger index
ranked India 111 out of 125 countries indicating high rates of under nutrition and stunting . (GHI
2023 ).Environmental factors also make a risk part to the food concerns . Unpredictable rainfall,
Extreme weather disrups harvest and reduce income for farmers thus leading to the non
availability of food produces to the people .A report submitted by Indian Council of Research on
International Economic relations ICRIER, emphasize that climate variability affects food
insecurity to a greater extent (ICRIER 2022 ).Between 2019 and 2021, an estimated 16.3% of
India’s population faced undernourishment. With a population of around 1.4 billion, India ranks
as the second most populous nation in the world according to a report, South Asia records the
highest rates of child stunting and has the worst child wasting statistics globally. Notably, India’s
child wasting rate stands at 19.3%—the highest among all countries. (Al Jazeera 2022 ).Hunger
and malnutrition continue to affect a large portion of the population, and India has struggled to
address these issues effectively. Ensuring access to adequate food remains a major challenge.
According to the Global Hunger Index 2022, India was ranked 107 th out of 121 countries,
highlighting the seriousness of the situation. In response to food insecurity, the Indian
government enacted the National Food Security Act in September 2013, commonly referred to as
the Right to Food Act. However, food security goes beyond just meeting a basic human
requirement—it is a fundamental right. To make real progress, the Public Distribution System
must be significantly improved and strengthened. ( Bharati M Ramani , 2023 ).Agriculture plays
a vital role in ensuring food security, both by producing food for consumption and by supporting
the livelihoods of approximately 36% of the global workforce. As the global population
approaches 9.5 billion, there is a growing need to meet increasing demand for food, fiber, and
fuel, while minimizing additional use of land, water, fossil fuels, and other finite resources. In
2010, agricultural land around the world spanned 4,889 million hectares—reflecting a 7%
increase since 1970. Over the same period, global grain production rose from 1.2 billion to 2.5
billion tons annually, driven by advances in technology, changes in land management, and crop
breeding improvements. Developments in technology and the expansion of global trade networks
have also made it easier and more cost-effective to distribute agricultural goods and processed
food internationally. ( Vandna Chhabra [Link] , 2024 ).
STABILITY IN FOOD SECURITY
Food security ensure the ability of all the people to access food at all times. ([Link],2000) .
World market stability acts as a major factor to a sustainable food security. According to them
world market stability is largely dependent upon the grain trading countries, improvement in
domestic storage and consumption to world conditions could gradually increase their
contribution to world food security[Josling [Link],1984]. Agricultural biodiversity is critical for
food security .
They provides valuable ecosystems services and functions for agricultural production.
(Thrupp,2000).
Food security mainly focus on the health of all their citizens. Agriculture contributes to the
economies of rural areas both in developed and developing countries, that would help in
improving food stability, as well as food security. Overall, biosecurity measures improves
animal welfare by reducing the occurrence of diseases that affects the stability by causing
fluctuations in the availability of meat and animal-derived food products such as milk, eggs and
traditional fermented products. As an absence of biosecurity measures affects food security
along with the productive, sanitary, and environmental sustainability of the rural areas .Thus, to
achieve this objective, specific policies related to food production, such as the hygienic
conditions of food processing, packaging, shelf-life, or food labelling information is important.
Population, a household, or a person must always have access to adequate food in order to have
food stability. (Juan García-Díez [Link],2021) . The availability of adequate food should not be
affected due to sudden problems such as economic crisis, climate crisis, and other cyclical
events such as seasonal food inaccessibility. In this way, the concept of stability refers to both the
availability and access of food to the people.(Anderson, [Link],2019)
The stability of the world market constitutes a critical determinant of sustainable food security.
They contended that such stability is predominantly influenced by the policies and actions of
major grain-exporting nations. Furthermore, they suggested that enhancing the responsiveness of
domestic storage systems and consumption patterns to global market fluctuations could
substantially reinforce their role in promoting global food security . ( Josling [Link],1984 )
UTILIZATION IN FOOD SECURITY
Food security is defined as a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical and
economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food
preferences for an active and healthy life. Utilization concerns about whether individuals and
households make good use of the food to which they have access .The nutritional value of food in
term of essential micronutrient and vitamins and the ability of the body to metabolize and absorb
these nutrients is an essential factor of food security. The lack of utilization of food is measured
through the prevalence of children (under the age of five) who are moderately or severely
underweight.[Christopher B Barrett, 2010]
Utilization refers to the biological capacity to effectively use food, which is contingent upon
adequate nutrition, access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation, and appropriate healthcare. It
emphasizes that achieving a state of nutritional well-being—where all physiological needs are
met—requires the integration of both food and essential non-food inputs.[FAO. Trade Reforms
and Food Security, 2003]Utilization pertains to the extent to which individuals and households
effectively use the food available to them. This dimension of food security encompasses not only
access but also the nutritional quality of food—specifically its content of essential micronutrients
and vitamins—as well as the body’s capacity to metabolize and absorb these nutrients, which is
crucial to achieving adequate nutritional outcomes (Barrett, 2010).
(Townsend et al. 2001) suggest a correlation between food insecurity and obesity, highlighting
the complex relationship between inadequate access to food and adverse health outcomes.( Ivers
et al, 2009) emphasize that HIV infection compromises nutrient absorption and utilization due to
weakened immune function. This often results in the malabsorption of fats and carbohydrates,
subsequently affecting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. They further conclude that
infections can induce significant metabolic alterations including changes in insulin and glucagon
levels driven by both diminished food intake and the immune response to infection. Hall,
( Brouwer [Link], 2008) add that the effective delivery of micronutrients is critically dependent on
their bioavailability; specific food metabolites may either inhibit or enhance the absorption of
minerals. As noted by (hoddinott [Link] , 2002), households exhibiting limited dietary diversity are
often characterized by low per capita consumption and insufficient caloric intake.
Conclusion
Despite India’s impressive gains in agriculture—being one of the world’s top producers of
cereals, milk, and fish (Swaminathan, 2009; K.M. Singh et al., 2021)—millions of people across
the country still face the harsh reality of hunger and undernutrition (McKay et al., 2023).
Children, especially in poorer and rural communities, remain among the most affected, with
nearly four in ten unable to achieve their full developmental potential (Patel & Sharma, 2022;
GHI, 2023). Environmental issues like climate change, erratic rainfall, and land degradation
continue to put stress on food production (Kumar & Singh, 2020), while nearly a third of
vegetables are lost due to inadequate storage and transport (Economic Times, 2024). Government
programs such as the Public Distribution System and Operation Greens have been steps in the
right direction, but challenges like outdated data and limited accessibility persist (Joshi, 2020;
Wikipedia, 2023). The reality for many low-income families is that most of their earnings go
toward basic food, often leaving them unable to afford balanced, nutritious meals (FPRI, 2021).
To truly improve food security, it’s not just about growing more—it’s about ensuring stability in
supply, safety in processing, and fairness in distribution (Juan García-Díez et al., 2021; Anderson
et al., 2019). Proper nutrition also depends on clean water, sanitation, and access to healthcare,
which many still lack (Barrett, 2010; FAO, 2003; Ivers et al., 2009). For India to overcome this
complex crisis, its approach must go beyond economic growth—focusing instead on creating
sustainable systems that ensure every individual, regardless of income or location, has reliable
access to healthy food (Bharati M. Ramani, 2023; Vandna Chhabra et al., 2024).
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