This document discusses India's agricultural policies and their role in ensuring food security. It makes three key points: 1) India's agricultural growth has slowed and been uneven, while 1/4 of the world's food insecure live in India. Subsidies absorb funds that could support health and education. 2) India's 12th Five-Year Plan aims to increase agricultural GDP growth and diversify production to enhance food security. The National Food Security Mission increases grain production. 3) The National Food Security Act of 2013 provides subsidized food grains to 2/3 of Indians through programs like midday meals and public distribution systems. It recognizes maternity entitlements.

1. Role of Agricultural Policies in
responding to Food Security in
India
-By Group 2
Abhishek Tomer
Siddhant Deshmukh
Shalini Verma
Shanoo Singh
Sudip Mitra
Suresh Hipparagi

2. Food Security
Food security is achieved when ‘all
people at all times have physical and
economic access to food that is
sufficient to meet dietary needs for a
healthy and productive life.

3. Introduction
 In the last two decades, agriculture-related growth has been much
slower than growth in non-agricultural sectors (widening income
inequality between rural and urban areas)
 Agriculture-related growth has also been uneven across regions
 India is the world’s second most populous country. About one-quarter
of the world’s total food insecure people live in India
 Subsidies and food distribution programmes may increase production
and consumption, but they absorb a large share of national finances
that could alternatively be spent on essential public goods and services,
such as health & education
 A key challenge for India is to make its agricultural sector more
productive and more sustainable

4. Agricultural Policy
 For almost 60 years, India’s agricultural policy has been guided by
Five-Year Plans, the latest of which is the 12th (2012-17)
 The Plan’s broad vision is “Faster, Sustainable, and More Inclusive
Growth”, leading to broad-based improvement in the economic and
social conditions of people
 As per the Plan, the higher GDP growth of 8.2% assumed envisages
4% growth in the agriculture and allied sectors
 Some of the key priorities are to improve the economic viability of
farming ,to encourage diversification, increase investments, reduce
environmental degradation, and enhance food security by further
production diversification
 Importantly the 12th Five-Year Plan continued the important National
Food Security Mission (NFSM), which have had a large impact on the
agricultural sector.

5. Food policy
 A similar direction is promoted by the food policy which
is very closely linked to the agricultural policy.
 Food commodities are procured by the Food
Corporation of India (FCI) and other para-state
institutions.
 The Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices
(CACP) sets Minimum Support Price (MSP) for 25
commodities and Statutory Minimum Price (SMP) for
one.
 A buffer stock is maintained in order to meet shortage
as well as control price.
 Subsidised food is supplied to poor through Public
Distribution System (PDS).

6. ‘National Food Security Mission’
 The National Development Council in 2007 launched a Food
Security Mission to increase the production of rice by 10 million
tons, wheat by 8 million tons and pulses by 2 million tons by the
end of the Eleventh Plan (2011-12)
 'National Food Security Mission' (NFSM), was launched in October
2007. The Mission is being continued during 12th Five Year Plan
with new targets of additional production of food grains
comprising of :
 10 million tons rice
 8 million tons of wheat
 4 million tons of pulses
 3 million tons of coarse cereals by the end of 12th Five Year Plan.

7. National Food Security Act,
2013
 The National Food Security Act, 2013 (also Right to Food Act) aims
to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two thirds
of India's population
 It was signed into law on 12 September 2013
 Following food security programmes were implemented under
NFSA
- Midday Meal Scheme
- Integrated Child Development Services scheme
- Public Distribution System
- NFSA 2013 recognizes maternity entitlements.

8. What are the top agricultural issues
India should focus on to meet its food
security needs?
The top issue by far for Indian agriculture is
increasing productivity.
Another key issue for productivity enhancement is the
development of high-value commodity supply chains.
The impact of climate change on smallholder
agriculture and the high risk that farmers face in the
event of droughts and floods.

9. What should policymakers do?
Price support and input subsidies and toward
investments that support the productivity
Long-term competitiveness
Staple food more affordable.
Invest in agriculture innovation systems, including
technology transfer and farm extension services,
Invest in education, health, sanitation, and other
public services that would contribute to improved
food and nutrition security.

10. Thank you ☺