Inaugural Session of 4th Global Summit-cum-Exhibition on “Second Green Revolution : Agriculture to Agribusiness” - 11th July, 2012.
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Ensuring food security has been a focus of Government’s planning and policy. Food security means availability of sufficient foodgrains to meet the domestic demand as well as access, at the individual level, to adequate quantities of food at affordable prices.
Due to technological breakthrough during Green Revolution in the sixties, the country attained self-sufficiency in foodgrains production. Now, the focus is on eastern region of the country where there is good potential to harness ample natural resources in order to achieve food security and agricultural sustainability. This is being done under the programme of “Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI)” started since 2010-11 as a part of on-going Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The price support operation of the Government, aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to farmers for their produce and incentivising them to produce more, has played an important role. MSPs are fixed in such a manner that it not only covers the costs of production but also ensures a reasonable return to farmers. The MSP operation of the Government has acted cushion to farmers against any sudden drop in market prices in a situation of excess supply.
Having attained self-sufficiency in foodgrains production, the issue of access to each individual or household to foodgrains/food at affordable prices is equally important. To ensure food security at the individual or household level, Government of India implements various schemes/programmes in partnership with State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Government is implementing the Targeted Public Distribution system (TPDS), under which subsidised foodgrains is provided to Below Poverty Line [including Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)] and Above Poverty Line Households at subsidised prices through a network of more than 5 lakh fair price shops in the country. Currently allocations of subsidised foodgrains is being made for about 6.5 crore BPL households, which includes 2.5 crore AAY households, and 11.5 crore APL households. Besides, Government is also implementing schemes to specifically address the nutrition related concerns, especially among women and children, through schemes like Integrated Child Development Services, Mid-Day Meal, Annapoorna etc.
In order to further strengthen the commitment of the Government towards food security in the country, the President of India in her address to the Joint Session of Parliament on 4th June, 2009, inter alia, announced that the Government proposes to enact a new law – the National Food Security Act – that will provide a statutory basis for a framework which assures food security for all. Pursuant to the announcement, Government held extensive and wide-ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including State Governments and UT Administrations, Central Ministries, experts and other individuals and organizations at different stages of preparation of the Bill. The Bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha on 22nd December, 2011.
The proposed legislation marks a paradigm shift in addressing the problem of food security – from the current welfare approach to a right based approach. It seeks to address the issue of food security in a holistic manner, by adopting a life cycle approach. About two thirds of the population will be entitled to receive subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System. Nutritional support to women and children has been given a special focus in the Bill. Pregnant women and lactating mothers, besides being entitled to meal, free of charge, as per the prescribed nutritional norms, will also receive maternity benefit @ Rs. 1000/- per month for six months. In case of non-supply of foodgrains or meals, beneficiaries will be entitled to receive food security allowance. Elaborate provisions for grievance redressal mechanism have also been made in the Bill besides other provisions for ensuring transparency and accountability such as disclosure of records of TPDS, social audit and vigilance committees at various levels.
The Bill is at present under consideration of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. We are awaiting the outcome of deliberations by the Standing Committee and further action will be taken accordingly to take the Bill forward.
Agri-business is an all encompassing area covering almost the entire off farm activities which have a bearing on growth of agriculture sector. It is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale trade and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales. All these activities are obviously crucial for a sustained growth in agriculture to meet the food security needs of the country, and the Government has taken various initiatives in these areas. To supplement efforts of public extension, the Ministry of Agriculture, in association with NABARD has launched a unique programme to take better methods of farming to each and every farmer across the country and to support agricultural development. This programme aims to tap the expertise available in the large pool of Agriculture Graduates and to create gainful self-employment opportunities for them.
One aspect of agribusiness which has a bearing on the food security is how to stop wastage of food. Apart from curbing social and cultural practices resulting in wastage of food and ostentatious consumption, development of a strong and vibrant food processing industry is essential to minimise the wastages. Development of infrastructure for storage, transportation and processing of agro-produce is required for minimising wastage at all stages in the food processing chain. Department of Consumer Affairs has already taken initiative to stipulate certain measures to eliminate wastage of food as well as to create awareness among the people of the need to control the wastage.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industry has taken a number of initiatives to promote the industry through policy initiatives as well as developmental initiatives which inter alia includes assistance to food processing industries under its various Schemes, support to various R&D activities and Human Resource Development to meet growing requirement of skilled manpower, and to promote entrepreneurship.
I am hopeful that all aspects of agribusiness and its potential role in giving a further boost to agriculture sector will be discussed in detail in this summit by the experts and distinguished persons drawn from diverse fields. I also hope that deliberations of this summit will come up with useful suggestions and recommendations suitable to our needs and requirements.
JAI HIND.
* * *
Ensuring food security has been a focus of Government’s planning and policy. Food security means availability of sufficient foodgrains to meet the domestic demand as well as access, at the individual level, to adequate quantities of food at affordable prices.
Due to technological breakthrough during Green Revolution in the sixties, the country attained self-sufficiency in foodgrains production. Now, the focus is on eastern region of the country where there is good potential to harness ample natural resources in order to achieve food security and agricultural sustainability. This is being done under the programme of “Bringing Green Revolution in Eastern India (BGREI)” started since 2010-11 as a part of on-going Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The price support operation of the Government, aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to farmers for their produce and incentivising them to produce more, has played an important role. MSPs are fixed in such a manner that it not only covers the costs of production but also ensures a reasonable return to farmers. The MSP operation of the Government has acted cushion to farmers against any sudden drop in market prices in a situation of excess supply.
Having attained self-sufficiency in foodgrains production, the issue of access to each individual or household to foodgrains/food at affordable prices is equally important. To ensure food security at the individual or household level, Government of India implements various schemes/programmes in partnership with State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. The Government is implementing the Targeted Public Distribution system (TPDS), under which subsidised foodgrains is provided to Below Poverty Line [including Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY)] and Above Poverty Line Households at subsidised prices through a network of more than 5 lakh fair price shops in the country. Currently allocations of subsidised foodgrains is being made for about 6.5 crore BPL households, which includes 2.5 crore AAY households, and 11.5 crore APL households. Besides, Government is also implementing schemes to specifically address the nutrition related concerns, especially among women and children, through schemes like Integrated Child Development Services, Mid-Day Meal, Annapoorna etc.
In order to further strengthen the commitment of the Government towards food security in the country, the President of India in her address to the Joint Session of Parliament on 4th June, 2009, inter alia, announced that the Government proposes to enact a new law – the National Food Security Act – that will provide a statutory basis for a framework which assures food security for all. Pursuant to the announcement, Government held extensive and wide-ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including State Governments and UT Administrations, Central Ministries, experts and other individuals and organizations at different stages of preparation of the Bill. The Bill has been introduced in the Lok Sabha on 22nd December, 2011.
The proposed legislation marks a paradigm shift in addressing the problem of food security – from the current welfare approach to a right based approach. It seeks to address the issue of food security in a holistic manner, by adopting a life cycle approach. About two thirds of the population will be entitled to receive subsidized foodgrains under Targeted Public Distribution System. Nutritional support to women and children has been given a special focus in the Bill. Pregnant women and lactating mothers, besides being entitled to meal, free of charge, as per the prescribed nutritional norms, will also receive maternity benefit @ Rs. 1000/- per month for six months. In case of non-supply of foodgrains or meals, beneficiaries will be entitled to receive food security allowance. Elaborate provisions for grievance redressal mechanism have also been made in the Bill besides other provisions for ensuring transparency and accountability such as disclosure of records of TPDS, social audit and vigilance committees at various levels.
The Bill is at present under consideration of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution. We are awaiting the outcome of deliberations by the Standing Committee and further action will be taken accordingly to take the Bill forward.
Agri-business is an all encompassing area covering almost the entire off farm activities which have a bearing on growth of agriculture sector. It is a generic term for the various businesses involved in food production, including farming, seed supply, agrichemicals, farm machinery, wholesale trade and distribution, processing, marketing, and retail sales. All these activities are obviously crucial for a sustained growth in agriculture to meet the food security needs of the country, and the Government has taken various initiatives in these areas. To supplement efforts of public extension, the Ministry of Agriculture, in association with NABARD has launched a unique programme to take better methods of farming to each and every farmer across the country and to support agricultural development. This programme aims to tap the expertise available in the large pool of Agriculture Graduates and to create gainful self-employment opportunities for them.
One aspect of agribusiness which has a bearing on the food security is how to stop wastage of food. Apart from curbing social and cultural practices resulting in wastage of food and ostentatious consumption, development of a strong and vibrant food processing industry is essential to minimise the wastages. Development of infrastructure for storage, transportation and processing of agro-produce is required for minimising wastage at all stages in the food processing chain. Department of Consumer Affairs has already taken initiative to stipulate certain measures to eliminate wastage of food as well as to create awareness among the people of the need to control the wastage.
The Ministry of Food Processing Industry has taken a number of initiatives to promote the industry through policy initiatives as well as developmental initiatives which inter alia includes assistance to food processing industries under its various Schemes, support to various R&D activities and Human Resource Development to meet growing requirement of skilled manpower, and to promote entrepreneurship.
I am hopeful that all aspects of agribusiness and its potential role in giving a further boost to agriculture sector will be discussed in detail in this summit by the experts and distinguished persons drawn from diverse fields. I also hope that deliberations of this summit will come up with useful suggestions and recommendations suitable to our needs and requirements.
JAI HIND.
