While It Has A Surplus Of Rice And Wheat, The Country Needs To Raise Production Of Pulses And Edible Oil, Writes Atul Thakur

At the time of Independence, just four years after the 1943 Bengal Famine had claimed millions of lives, India was divided into two countries. The new India got 82% of the population but only 75% of the cereal production of the undivided country. So, food security was a major concern from the beginning, and the Foodgrains Policy Commission was created in 1947. Despite the commission’s recommendations, foodgrain production plateaued by the late 1950s. The Green Revolution spurred it in the 1960s with high-yield varieties and a more scientific approach to agriculture, and Food Corporation of India stabilised agricultural prices with market intervention and price support. Because of these steps, India is now a net exporter of foodgrains

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