Grain Drain
India has achieved record surplus food production, yet there is no nutrition security for its one billion people
-- Projections show India is moving towards negative growth in coarse grain production
-- Production of coarse grains is declining as the government promotes only rice and wheat
-- Coarse cereals are more nutritious and better suited to drylands
-- The public distribution system (PDS) has introduced rice and wheat in places where it wasn't cultivated earlier
-- People have started eating rice subsidised by the PDS. The health effects are bad, on humans as well as soil and water resources
-- Overemphasis on rice has led to problems of water scarcity and pest infestation.
-- International demand for coarse grains is rising. India's drylands can sustain not just the dependant population but also provide some surplus for trade
-- Immediate policy intervention is needed to put coarse grains on the same footing in the market as rice and wheat .
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