Shift focus from food security to nutrition: Venkaiah Naidu

It is high time that India diversified its food production by moving away from mono cropping of major cereals to a system that integrates a variety of food items, including small millets, pulses, fruits and vegetables, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said here on Sunday.

Addressing a seminar to mark the inauguration of the National Consultation on Leveraging Agriculture for Nutrition organised by the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), he said the cultivation of pulses will help improv nutrient-rich food production and in restoring nutrient value to the soil.

On the economic side, it will reduce the economic burden of imports, given that nearly 6 million tonnes of pulses are imported, he added.

“While we have by and large achieved food security, there is an increasing recognition today that food production has to be modified to achieve nutrition security. Our success in food production combined with our policies on public distribution of food grains resulted in alleviating the problem of hunger for the marginalised sections in our country. Yet, as the statistics show, our malnutrition status is grave and it is time for us to move towards achieving nutrition security for all,” he said.

Creating a market

Apart from encouraging nutritionally-rich crops, there is a need to create a market for such items, Naidu said.

Promoting or supplying them through the Public Distribution System can be a good option. Awareness should be created about the importance of nutritional value of food products, he noted.

He then called upon the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Krishi Vigyan Kendras and other such institutions to take the lead in educating farmers.

Simultaneously, greater consumer awareness should be built about the nutritional value of different foods so that they are able to make informed decisions, he said.

Malnutrition persists

The extent of malnutrition in India is high, but it is relegated to the background in policy debates, Naidu noted. It is distressing that despite efforts by successive governments, at the Centre and in the States, malnutrition persists at unacceptable levels, he said.

India produces sufficient food, but with a population of 130 crore, “we cannot depend on imported food security. We need... home-grown food security,” he said.

MS Swaminathan, Founder Chairman, MSSRF, said malnutrition is a persistent problem among women and children. Despite governmental efforts for decades, it continues at unacceptable levels, and while India has attained food security, “we are still far away from nutrition security.”

The Food Security Act itself provides that the country should move towards nutrition security, and the cognitive ability of children depends on nutrients, he said.

Malnutrition can be classified as three major nutritional deficiencies: calorie, protein and micro-nutrient. Leveraging agriculture for nutrition has great potential to address food and nutrition security, he said.

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