The United Nations and the Food and Agricultural Organization gave the gloomy news that the world consumed more food than it grew last year. It is the sixth time in the past 11 years that this has happened. The result is that every time there is a grain deficit in the world, there is no buffer stock to meet the crisis. At present, global food stock is at about the same level as in 2002. But during this period, there has been a population explosion. FAO has shown that the stock-to-disappearance ratio for major exporters of food will rise from over 10 in 2009-11 to 16.3 in 2011-12. A few major droughts will throw the whole world into a food crisis. Local shortages may result in famines spiking prices even in surplus areas. Climate change is another hindrance. Farmland is being converted from edible crops to raw materials for bio-fuels. If price rises, farmers may be induced to switch from meat production to what may appear more profitable activities. As the population of the world rises, there will be less cultivable land. The way out lies in long-term and multi-lateral solutions.
India has grain stocks amounting to 50 million tonnes. The government is thinking of enacting a Food Security Bill. It will entail distribution of about 40 million tonnes of grains per year. But the situation has to be viewed in the light of the world agricultural output. Readiness for emergencies is of course an imperative. Various ways of reducing malnutrition in the country can be considered. Better management of food supply chains to reduce losses, better storage facilities to prevent rats from eating up a large quantity of grains stored are some of the necessary steps. Infantile diarrhoea has to be contained to ensure children’s nutrition. Hoarding by surplus countries should be prevented. But in the last analysis, when it comes to food availability, every country has to be on its own.