by chandrakant Sat Sep 04, 2010 5:46 pmFor the last few months we all are hearing things which have worried all of us in relation to food management in India. When there is question on the efficiency with which our organization work than it hurts to all of its employees and to all those sensible fellow who understand the various variant factors present in food management in India and its socio-economical or political impact. When dissatisfaction roars, it states need for change. To bring a change it is necessary to understand basic things and share issues from previous experiences within or elsewhere.
If FCI stocks food grain 218.35 lakhs tonne out of 256.64 lakh tonne covered storage capacity, it is utilizing 85.18% of its capacity throughout the country and inevitably damages around 22,408 tonne (0.14%) of food grain through its various tedious operations from procurement, transportation and storages in adverse climatic condition too. Wheat is a living material and responds to the atmospheric moisture. Its long storage in uncontrolled atmospheric condition may cause damages. Rice a dead natural material is itself a media for fungal growth in uncontrolled atmospheric condition. Annual balance sheets of almost all the companies show losses, for example banking sectors through write offs and bad debts, manufacturing sectors through scraps, retail sectors through thefts etc. Losses and its presence in various sectors hardly worry people but as per the food is concerned it become a hot issue. This only because we didn’t have forget the pains of last two famines of previous century. We usually see people starving due to non accessibility of food by them. The burning fact is 40% of India’s population still goes to bed with single meal in a day. Identifying these forty crores and distributing free food to them is not one night game show.
The question arises what to change to make people understand we are worthily working for our nation and its food security? Our country crossed 200 million tonnes of food grain production in the crop year 1997-98 to 203.61 million tonnes by wheat approximately contributing 34% (69.35 million tonnes) and rice 40% (82.54million tonnes). India’s food grain production in crop year 2007-08 was 227.32 million tonnes. If FCI stocks food grain to maximum of its covered capacity around 256.64 lakh tonnes it will be able to stock only 11% of our food production. With merely 11% of controlled stored food grain how a 40% starving nation’s government can decide food export or left its market free in the hands of traders. Previous experiences with export of onion and resultant uncontrolled inflation have shown bitter experiences to policy makers.
We need around 350 million tonnes of food grain in 2050 forty years ahead to feed our multiplying population. India’s highest production of wheat in crop year 2007-08 was around 13% more (78.57 million tonnes) than crop year 1997-98. Similarly highest production of rice in crop year 2008-09 was 99.37 million tonnes was 20% more with respect to crop year 1997-98. All data reveals we have added only 10-15% in one decade to total food production. With this speed we will witness a huge gap between demand and supply of food grains in 2050. Today which seems mounting and unmanageable is a great illusion. Government should facilitate atmospheric controlled storages as one of the short term measures along with all crop improvement practices to narrow the demand supply gap. The facilities to store food grains up to ten years in controlled atmospheric conditions should be introduced to conquer our fight to starvation. It’s a time not to blame but to understand critically and behave like 65 years old matured democratic citizen.
Jai Hind.
If FCI stocks food grain 218.35 lakhs tonne out of 256.64 lakh tonne covered storage capacity, it is utilizing 85.18% of its capacity throughout the country and inevitably damages around 22,408 tonne (0.14%) of food grain through its various tedious operations from procurement, transportation and storages in adverse climatic condition too. Wheat is a living material and responds to the atmospheric moisture. Its long storage in uncontrolled atmospheric condition may cause damages. Rice a dead natural material is itself a media for fungal growth in uncontrolled atmospheric condition. Annual balance sheets of almost all the companies show losses, for example banking sectors through write offs and bad debts, manufacturing sectors through scraps, retail sectors through thefts etc. Losses and its presence in various sectors hardly worry people but as per the food is concerned it become a hot issue. This only because we didn’t have forget the pains of last two famines of previous century. We usually see people starving due to non accessibility of food by them. The burning fact is 40% of India’s population still goes to bed with single meal in a day. Identifying these forty crores and distributing free food to them is not one night game show.
The question arises what to change to make people understand we are worthily working for our nation and its food security? Our country crossed 200 million tonnes of food grain production in the crop year 1997-98 to 203.61 million tonnes by wheat approximately contributing 34% (69.35 million tonnes) and rice 40% (82.54million tonnes). India’s food grain production in crop year 2007-08 was 227.32 million tonnes. If FCI stocks food grain to maximum of its covered capacity around 256.64 lakh tonnes it will be able to stock only 11% of our food production. With merely 11% of controlled stored food grain how a 40% starving nation’s government can decide food export or left its market free in the hands of traders. Previous experiences with export of onion and resultant uncontrolled inflation have shown bitter experiences to policy makers.
We need around 350 million tonnes of food grain in 2050 forty years ahead to feed our multiplying population. India’s highest production of wheat in crop year 2007-08 was around 13% more (78.57 million tonnes) than crop year 1997-98. Similarly highest production of rice in crop year 2008-09 was 99.37 million tonnes was 20% more with respect to crop year 1997-98. All data reveals we have added only 10-15% in one decade to total food production. With this speed we will witness a huge gap between demand and supply of food grains in 2050. Today which seems mounting and unmanageable is a great illusion. Government should facilitate atmospheric controlled storages as one of the short term measures along with all crop improvement practices to narrow the demand supply gap. The facilities to store food grains up to ten years in controlled atmospheric conditions should be introduced to conquer our fight to starvation. It’s a time not to blame but to understand critically and behave like 65 years old matured democratic citizen.
Jai Hind.
