For the first time since the Green Revolution era, India is staring at a contracting supply of foodgrains and an uncomfortable reality of food insecurity. Although the country’s granaries are brimming and foodgrains and horticulture production are at record levels, climate change-induced weather variability is taking a toll on the country’s ability to cope with its adverse effect on food production, availability, and inflation — pushing a large section of society to government supplied free-ration and cash aid.

The discourse on imminent food insecurity is an awkward truth. The policy actions of restricting stock piling, imposing export duty, reducing import tariffs, and banning export of agri commodities from rice to sugar threaten the food security of the country’s140-crore people.

Moreover, the narrowing agriculture trade surplus, export-import imbalance, and galloping import of food items from edible oil to pulses to increased demand for the import of animal feed such as maize, Distiller’s Dried Grains with Soluble (DDGS) — a by-product of maize based ethanol, soybean grain and meal — are worrisome. The surprising opening of the Indian animal feed market to imported alfalfa hay in 2023 (lucerne, or commonly known as rizka, as forage crop) from the US as part of the India-US Trade Policy Forum shows the paucity of animal feed for our thriving livestock sector.

In addition to feeding Indians with imported palm oil, soyabean oil, lentils, pigeon pea, chickpea, Washington apple and California almonds, the time has come to feed the Indian cattle and buffalo population with imported alfalfa hay. This is the stark reality of agriculture today, which is concealed in the laurels of the past. In fact, agriculture research in India is stuck in the sloganeering of the Green Revolution era of the 1960s and 1970s.

Over the last 75 years, the country has increased its arable area from 97.3 million hectares in 1950 to 132.2 million hectares in 2023-24; an increase of 0.47 per cent per annum. On the other hand, foodgrain production has risen by a factor of six, from 50.8 million tonnes in 1950 to 350 million tonnes in 2023-24, an average annual increase of 7.85 per cent as compared to an average area increase of 0.47 per cent per annum. Undoubtedly, the productivity gains were a result of painstaking research in developing high yielding varieties of seeds coupled with expansion of irrigation, mechanisation, and other technological inputs. The Green Revolution is a classic example of technology-led transformation of agriculture production and a new paradigm of research based institutional support.

A recent empirical study by ICAR-NIAEPR points out that the pay-offs to investment in agricultural research and extension are quite significant. The study reveals that every rupee spent on agriculture research paid back ₹13.85, on extension ₹7.40 and on livestock sector ₹20.81, which is much higher than in other sectors of the economy. A RBI study in 2008 confirmed a similar outcome with regard to investment in agri research — a return of ₹13.45 per rupee spending on agriculture R&D. The RBI also noted that investment in agriculture research, education and rural infrastructure is often the most effective in promoting agriculture growth and poverty reduction.

However, the pace and pattern of investments in agriculture have been grossly skewed towards welfare schemes in the last two decades. Not only has the magnitude of investment in agriculture welfare schemes skyrocketed but also the ratio of investment in welfare to agri research has increased from 4:1 to 15:1. The current investment trend in agriculture has completely ignored research, education, and extension. Over the last decade, the investment in agriculture welfare implemented by Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare jumped from ₹21,190 crore in 2013-14 to ₹1,15,532 crore in 2023-24, an increase of around 450 per cent. The corresponding increase in agri research administered by the Department of Agricultural Research and Education was from ₹4,881 crore to ₹9,504 crore, a 90 per cent rise (see Chart).

The current allocation of resource for agriculture research is barely 8 per cent of the budget allocated for agriculture welfare and cash aid. The meagre resources are for serving a vast national agriculture research system comprising 103 ICAR institutes and 72 State and Central Agricultural Universities housing over 6,000 agriculture scientists, 25,000 academia and around 11,000 extension professionals working in 731 Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVKs). Unfortunately, almost 90 per cent of agri research funds are utilised for salaries, a chunk of the remaining 10 per cent for administrative matters and only a meagre amount for agriculture research. Several new institutes have been created without any infrastructure for R&D and the infra of State Agricultural Universities are either outdated or not commensurate with present-day needs.

Draconian laws

The piling up of applications for the approval of pesticides, bio-stimulants and biotech traits and excessive focus on traditional production practices would do more harm than good. In addition, agriculture needs to be unshackled from the clutches of two draconian laws, including the Essential Commodity Act 1955 and the Fertilizer Control Order 1985. Sooner than later, India needs to revitalise the scientific community and break the ‘plaque ceremony culture’ of running R&D institutions. The need of the hour is to at least double public sector investment in agriculture research, education and extension.

Reversing the current trend and ensuring food security can be achieved only by designing and developing projects in mission mode in priority areas of food, feed, fibre and fuel, in coordination with multidisciplinary teams across R&D institutions. A new paradigm of ‘welfare science’ should take over from populist welfare schemes and India should once again embark on the accelerated path of science based food self-sufficiency and farmers’ prosperity amidst pressing and unprecedented new challenges.

The writers are with South Asia Biotechnology Centre, Jodhpur. Views are personal

Almost 90 per cent of agri research funds are utilised for salaries, a chunk of the remaining 10 per cent for administrative matters and only a meagre amount for agriculture research.

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