The document discusses the perspectives of farmers on India's impending food security bill. It makes three key points: 1) India's rapidly growing population of over 1.24 billion people places great pressure on food grain production, though production has increased from 50 million tons in 1951-52 to 257.3 million tons today, hunger still exists. 2) While agriculture's share of GDP has declined, technological interventions like modern varieties, irrigation, and fertilizers have helped increase crop yields but support varies by crop. 3) The food security bill may negatively impact farmers by lowering food prices and failing to address the fatigue in the farming sector or rising production costs without also improving agricultural infrastructure and opportunities.

1. On the eve of food security bill: Farmers’ perspective
R P Singh, Ph.D.
Associate Director Extension, G B PUAT, Pantnagar
The population clock estimates the population of India is over 1.24 billions and increasing 29 persons
per minute, 1768 persons per hour and 42431 persons per day. This rapid increase in population put a
great pressure on food grain production of the country. On a rough reckoning it is an acceptable fact
that India achieved a marvelous success in food production from a bare 50 million tons in 1951-52 to
257.3 million tons in 2011-12 is still hungry. The Indian economy has undergone structural changes
overtime with the anticipated decline in the share of agriculture in the Gross Domestic Production (GDP)
from 55 percent in 1950-51 to 12 per cent in 2011-12. Kanan and Sundaram (2011) from the Institute for
Social and Economic changes, Benglore, revealed that ‘The cropping pattern has significant changes
overtime. There is a marked shift from the cultivation of food grains to commercial crops. Among the
food grains the area under coarse cereals is declined. The increase in crop yield has been a major factor
for accelerating production in the country. The technological interventions in the cultivation of crops are
increased. The use of modern varieties, irrigation, fertilizers, and measures of pest control were
important factors that ensured higher growth in crop production. However, technological and
institutional support for few crops like rice and wheat brought significant changes in crop area and
output composition in some regions. The results of crop output growth model indicate that the
enhanced capital formation, better irrigation facilities, normal rain fall and improved fertilizer
consumption helped to improve crop out put in the country.’
The Food Security Bill is going to provide rice and wheat to 61 per cent population on cheapest rate. It
will certainly affect the forming community as well as the developmental initiatives taken up by the
government and to be taken in future. The farming community is running under a fatigue and the food
grain production has stagnated since 1980s. The production cost of per kg food grain increasing day by
day. Cheaper food grain availability through public distribution system will come in the market through
corruption. It will check the price rate of the farmers produce and a vicious circle will take birth to hinder
the agricultural and rural development. In this vicious circle, the subsidy on agriculture will siphon out
to the corrupt market. At this juncture, there is need of life saving oxygen to the farmers by providing
good quality fertilizers, new technological options of irrigation, pest control, processing and storage,
marketing opportunity and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructures.
Government should evolve policy to fund investment and attract private partners from national and
multinational corporate to invest money in agricultural infrastructure development like fertilizer
production, modernization of irrigation, processing, storage, transportation, marketing and ICT
infrastructures. Need of hour is to make policy for harnessing the agricultural skills at national and
international level by creating agriculture service centers. Youth must be in focus while creating
agricultural policy because the agriculture is still labour intensive industry. It will provide job to the
trained youth.
Key words: Food security bill, population clock, agriculture development, ICT,