Food Security In India

The government on Wednesday further tightened wheat stock holding norms for wholesalers, small and big chain retailers, and processors to curb hoarding and check price rise. "As part of continuous efforts to moderate prices of wheat, the central government has decided to revise the wheat stock limit applicable until 31st March 2025," the food ministry said in a statement. According to the revised norms, wholesalers are now allowed to maintain wheat stock up to 1,000 tonne instead of 2,000 tonne, retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne, while big chain retailer can hold 5 tonne for each outlet instead of 10 tonne earlier. Processors will be allowed to maintain 50 per cent instead of 60 per cent of their monthly installed capacity multiplied by the remaining months till April 2025. The stock limits on wheat were first imposed on June 24 and later revised to tighten the norms on September 9 in order to manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and

This comes at a time when concerns have been raised about food safety standards violations by e-commerce and quick commerce platforms for packaged food products

Rural population has been grappling with decline in food and nutrition intake after the advent of the neo-liberal policies in the early 1990s with an estimated 80 per cent of them now having less than 2,200 calories per day, according to economist Utsa Patnaik. "The nutritional intake data is not there. But from whatever there is, by using certain approximations, I estimate that more than 80 per cent of the rural population has slipped below 2,200 calories per day intake," she said while delivering the second P Sundarayya memorial lecture on the topic 'Agrarian Distress, Worker-Peasant Alliance and Resistance to Corporate and Imperialist Designs in India' here on Wednesday evening. "That is what the data tell us. That is what the government's own data from the annual economic surveys and from the National Sample Service tell us. And of course, all these claims of declining mass poverty is completely false," she alleged. The accepted average calorie requirement in India is 2400 ...

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked the Food Supplies and Consumer Welfare Department to provide three months of rice in advance to the beneficiaries of the Public Distribution System (PDS). Majhi issued this direction after he reviewed rice distribution under the Public Distribution System, the chief minister's office (CMO) said in a statement on Tuesday. The chief minister's direction is significant as it came after allegation of delayed rice distribution among people at Mandipanka village in Daringbadi block of Kandhamal district. Two women died and six others fell ill in the village after consuming mango kernel gruel allegedly due to scarcity of foodgrains. As per the chief minister's instructions, each beneficiary of the National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme will get 15 kg of rice for three months (October to December). Although the rice distribution process started from October 1, about 40 lakh families have not received rice yet. Therefore, th

Meant to nutritional security challenges, rice fortification involves the adding of Fortified Rice Kernels (FRK), containing micronutrients such as iron, folic acid, and Vitamin B12, into regular rice

Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Monday said the government will build 100 food testing labs and 50 food irradiation centres as part of its efforts to boost processing levels and ensure quality. The minister asked the industry not to compromise on the quality of products as this will affect not only brands but the country's image as well. He said the ministry will set up 100 food testing labs to ensure that products meet standard norms set by regulators. The minister assured the industry that he would try to address any issues and challenges affecting the growth of the food processing sector. Addressing a Ficci seminar, Paswan emphasised the need to minimise wastage and promote value addition. The minister also exhorted industry players to make India a global food basket. "Indian food products should become popular globally. Indian food standards should be recognised as global standards," Paswan said. To boost processing levels, Paswan said as many as 50 food ...

Govt must address malnutrition

The Budget is an opportunity for the government to create an agricultural sector that will ensure food security and economic prosperity for the nation

Climate change and rapid urbanization is likely to result in increased demand for food, water and energy, Ravichandran Purushothaman, President, Danfoss India has said. Danfoss engineers solutions that increase machine productivity, reduce emissions, lower energy consumption, and enable electrification. According to Purushothaman, India's cooling demand is expected to grow 10-fold by 2030 and it is imperative to meet the same through sustainable means to help the country get closer to its net-zero ambitions. "We are working towards bridging the tech and skill gap, helping farmers and businesses reduce food loss and improve food security in the Indian cold chain," Purushothaman said. With around 14 per cent of food worldwide lost due to a lack of effective refrigeration, enough to feed 1 billion people, Danfoss has called for more attention on the need to establish sustainable and energy-efficient cold chain infrastructure. When it comes to the Indian Cold Chain Infrastructure, a .

Sugar mills have paid Rs 78,000 crore to sugarcane farmers in the first six months (October-March) of the current marketing season, a food ministry official said on Wednesday. Sugar marketing season runs from October to September. While the season is still on, the mills have cleared 87 per cent of the total cane payment of Rs 90,000 crore till March 31 of the 2023-24 season, the official said. Mills have produced more than 300 lakh tonne of sugar so far this season. "Against the total cane payment of Rs 90,000 crore for October-March period of 2023-24 season, mills have already cleared Rs 78,000 crore," the official told PTI. Cane payments are made as per the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 315 per quintal fixed by the Centre for the 2023-24 marketing season, depending on the recovery rate. The official also said that sugar mills have cleared 99.7 per cent of the total Rs 1.15 lakh crore cane dues of the 2022-23 season. Cane dues prior to 2022-23 seasons have been almost

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to pass any direction on a plea seeking formulation of a scheme on setting up of community kitchens to combat hunger and malnutrition, observing that the National Food Security Act (NFSA) and other welfare schemes are being implemented by the Centre and states. A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said it was open to states and union territories to ensure implementation of alternative welfare schemes. "The National Food Security Act and other welfare schemes are being implemented by the Union of India and the states to ensure access to adequate quantity of food at affordable prices to people. We do not propose to issue any further direction in this regard. "We have not examined whether the concept of community kitchens is better or wiser alternative available to states to achieve the objective of NFSA. Rather, we would leave it open to states and union territories to ensure implementation of alternative welfare schemes," the benc

A video went viral on social media of a Kanpur bread factory showing its unhygienic practices. The raised questions on the safety and cleanliness of commercially produced bread

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Amid scrutiny of its market support for rice, India must remain vigilant in signing future trade deals to safeguard its interests

Maintaining high import duties on sensitive agri commodities like rice and resisting pressure to open up the domestic sector to low tariffs will be crucial for preserving India's self-sufficiency and ensuring food security for its population, a report said on Monday. Economic think tank GTRI (Global Trade Research Initiative) in its report said that India needs to cut its reliance on imported vegetable oils to promote better health outcomes and also reduce the import bill. This will need educating consumers about the health benefits of using locally produced oils like mustard, groundnut, and rice bran in lieu of imported oils. India is the world's largest importer of vegetable oils, with imports estimated to double to USD 20.8 billion in 2023-24 from USD 10.8 billion in 2017-18. It added that the US and EU currently support agriculture by using the latest technology to maximise output, high tariffs (or import duties) to discourage imports and massive subsidies to push ...

Over 25,000 fair price shop dealers from Jharkhand on Monday joined the nation-wide indefinite 'Ration Bandh' call given by All India Fair Price Shop Dealers' Federation (AIFPSDF). The strike might impact over 65 lakh beneficiaries covered under national and state food security schemes in Jharkhand, if it goes long, an office bearer of the dealer association said. General secretary of Jharkhand unit of Fair Price Shop Dealers Association (FPSDA) Sanjay Kundu told PTI that the 'Ration Bandh' call has been given in protest against the Central Government's failure to ensure a minimum monthly income guarantee for the dealers and some other issues. "The agitation has been called to press for various demands of the FPS dealers such as ensuring minimum monthly income guarantee of Rs 50,000 for dealers, implementing the recommendations of World Food Program and allowing distribution through e-PoS device by inserting aadhaar number of the cardholders in case of emergency," he said. Kundu sa

In order to check rice inflation, the government is considering a proposal to sell FCI rice under the 'Bharat' brand but the discounted rate has not yet been decided, a food ministry official said. The ministry's efforts to check retail rice prices by boosting domestic availability through sale of FCI rice via e-auction under the Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS) has received a lukewarm response. "There is a proposal to retail 'Bharat rice' but the price has not yet been decided," the official told PTI on Wednesday. Under the OMSS, the Food Corporation of India (FCI) is offering quality rice at a reserve price of Rs 29 per kg. "Whether to sell Bharat rice at the same rate or reduced rate, the decision has to be taken by the Group of Ministers," the official added. The government is already selling wheat flour (atta) and pulses under the Bharat brand through outlets managed by the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), National Cooperative Consumers' .

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 4 announced the extension of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Ann Yojana scheme for another five years

The World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 to promote food security everywhere and make sure people are getting enough of it. This Day is celebrated in nearly 150 countries

Representatives from Japan, Australia, Brazil, the EU, the UK, and the US raised concerns over the impact of the ban on the global food market