Is It Right for India to Export Food Amid Domestic Hunger?
India Is Home to 270 Million Hungry People
Newsreel Asia Insight #139
Feb. 22, 2024
India’s agricultural narrative is marked by contradictions between government claims of self-sufficiency and the harsh realities of hunger and farmer distress. The government’s assertion of surplus and self-sufficiency should be examined against the backdrop of India being home to 270 million hungry people, making it the country with the highest number of undernourished individuals globally, says a report by the media outlet DownToEarth.
Even though India produced a lot more food grains, increasing from 217 million tonnes in 2006-07 to 275.11 million tonnes in 2016-17, the country still has serious problems, DownToEarth says. Many people are going hungry, and farmers are taking their own lives out of despair, it adds, pointing out that between 1991 and 2011, more than 14 million farmers stopped farming because it was too hard for them to make a living, even though farming in India has gotten better over the years.
India is placed low on two important lists that measure how much food is available to people and how many are going hungry. It’s 97th on Oxfam’s list that looks at how much food countries have for their people, and it’s 103rd on a global list from 2018 that tracks hunger around the world. According to the Food Agriculture Organization, which checks if countries grow enough food for their own people, India is just making it, without extra to send to other countries.
“India is home to a quarter of all undernourished people worldwide, making the country a key focus for tackling hunger on a global scale,” says World Food Programme. “In the last two decades, per capita income more than tripled, yet the minimum dietary intake fell. The gap between rich and poor increased during this period of high economic growth.”
India’s claim of exporting more food than it imports is questioned because the country still needs to buy a lot of its basic food from other places. For example, in 2015-16, nearly 79% of what India imported in terms of agriculture was essential food items like wheat, pulses and cooking oils, the media outlet says. This shows that India depends on other countries for everyday food needs. At the same time, India was exporting 20.4 million tonnes of agricultural goods in 2015-16 and even more, 22.3 million tonnes, in 2017-18. This situation makes people wonder why India is sending food abroad when it’s clear there’s a need for these foods at home to ensure everyone has enough to eat.
The stagnation of food availability per person at roughly 180 kg per annum – compared to the significantly higher availability in countries like China (450 kg per capita), Bangladesh (200 kg), and the U.S. (more than 1,100 kg) – shows the inadequacy of India’s food production to meet the nutritional needs of its population, according to DownToEarth. The decline in cereal consumption, despite being a primary source of nutrition, and the increase in imports of essential food items highlight the challenges in achieving true food self-sufficiency.
A 2023 report by Yahoo! Finance said: “India, despite its efforts in achieving food sufficiency in production, faces a significant challenge. It is home to a quarter of the world’s hungry population, with over 190 million people experiencing undernourishment. With a food production per capita of 1.09 metric tons in 2021, there is a pressing need to address food insecurity and improve access to nutritious food for its vast population.”
Prioritising exports over domestic needs can be seen as neglecting the basic rights of the country’s citizens to food security. It raises ethical questions about the government’s responsibility towards its own people. Exporting food while a significant portion of the population is facing hunger can exacerbate food insecurity. It might lead to a reduction in the availability of affordable food for the domestic population, especially for the economically weaker sections.
Further, the practice can contribute to economic disparities within the country. While exporters and large-scale farmers may benefit from the global market, small-scale farmers and the general population might suffer from increased food prices and reduced access to food. Moreover, exporting key staples can sometimes lead to a paradox where a country, despite being a producer, becomes dependent on imports to satisfy its domestic needs. This can lead to vulnerability to global price fluctuations and trade policies, affecting the country’s food sovereignty.
Therefore, experts argue for a shift in policy focus from exporting to ensuring adequate food distribution and nutrition within the country. The lack of infrastructure for proper storage and transportation of surplus produce exacerbates the issue of food wastage and unavailability. The debate on India’s food self-sufficiency must address the underlying issues of hunger, nutritional deficiency and agricultural policy to truly fulfill the needs of its population.
