Food inflation is forcing prices to move northwards. On the other hand, farmers are complaining about poor prices for their produce. Either side is not happy.
Experts from policy and businesses have reflected on this paradoxical situation India is facing at the two-day meet Food 360 degrees organised by Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Dr William D Dar, Director-General of ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics) called for use of science-based solutions and empowering farmers with market linkages to tackle food inflation and challenges posed by climate change.
“We must elevate farmers from subsistence farming to market oriented in order to give them more incomes. Food inflation and climate change are impacting not just India but all developing countries. How to curtain this is a big challenge. We need to have a holistic approach that includes empowerment of farmers and market-linked models,” he said.
“Climate change is here impacting agriculture. There is a deficit of 30-40 per cent in rainfall. We are witnessing floods too,” he said.
Mr S Sivakumar, Chief Executive Officer of ITC Agri Business, said the country needed to have long-term strategies to tackle increasing food prices. “Short term measures such as giving subsidies are important. But if you stay only there, you are trapped there. Food prices are not going to come down,” he said.
Ms Sangita Reddy, Chairperson of FICCI (Andhra Pradesh), said agri sector had shrunk from 25 per cent to 15 per cent of the country’s GDP in the last decade. There was a need to focus on additional investment into the sector.
Mr J. A. Chowdary, Chairman, organizing committee, Food 3600, said, food safety and security were primary driving forces for global economy. “We have take a cue from countries like Thailand that processes 90 per cent of the food it produces. We need to arrest migration from rural areas to urban areas by making agriculture economically viable,” he said.