India ranks 66th in global food index

Stands much lower than China and other developing countries like Sri Lanka

A study of national food security has put India at 66, much lower than its giant neighbour China and some of the under developed countries such as Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Honduras, Kazakhstan, Botswana and Guatemala.

The study, covering 105 nations, put China at 38, while United States and Democratic Republic of Congo respectively occupied the top and bottom positions.

“We do particularly badly on nutrition. This is an area where we do appallingly badly. We do not do so badly in other areas,” Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen said after launching the Global Food Security Index 2012 in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The study, conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit, reveals that 19 per cent of India’s population does not receive the minimum number of required calories for average person, resulting in 224.6 million undernourished people.

The undernourished in India consume on average 240 calorie below the minimum daily requirement of 1780 calories per person per day recommended by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.

The EIU, a business research unit of The Economist group, was commissioned by the US-based multinational DuPont to bring out the Global Food Security Index.

“We believe we can find science-based solutions to the global challenge of feeding the world by working with farmers, governments, NGOs and other corporations to maximize the yield from every acre,” James C Borel, Executive Vice President of DuPont, said.

Low protein

The study said India’s food quality and safety score is constrained by the availability of Vitamin A and iron, consumption of which are below world averages.

The food in India also contains relatively low quantities of quality protein.

The average consumption of protein is computed as 37 grams a day, while consumption patterns in rich and poor countries significantly vary from 101.7 grams to 48.7 grams respectively. India ranks 76th in diet diversification, 91st in micronutrient availability in food, 85th in protein quality and 67th in food safety.

The GFSI 2012 also reveals that India spends just one per cent of its agricultural Gross Domestic Product on related research, placing India near the bottom of the 26 lower middle-income countries in the index. Poor infrastructure also constrains India’s score for food availability.

The report however notes that while India’s R&D public spending is low compared with the size of its agricultural sector, the country spends a larger amount in Public-Private-Partnership mode compared to other emerging markets.

Sen said that the 12th Five Year Plan would seek to add a PPP component to the Rashtriya Krishi Vikash Yojana. He said that the 12th plan would also lay special emphasis on creating formats to help small farmers come together in groups and work with the government and industry to enhance the nation’s food security.

The plan would also launch a whole new scheme for sustainable agriculture.