Food security not an issue: ICAR

"There should be no doubt that India's aggregate agricultural production would comfortably address our rising demand and consumption pattern," ICAR Director General Dr Mangala Rai told Business Standard.

"When farm inputs, including fuel, labour, fertiliser, are hit by inflation, food prices are bound to increase. This does not mean that the demand has outstripped supply or that there is scarcity of food grain," he said.

He informed that while the population of the country was growing by less than 2 per cent a year, food grain production had risen by almost 2.6 per cent in the previous 10th Five Year Plan.

However, Rai added that efforts should be made to augment agricultural production by 4.5 per cent to hedge against unforeseen challenges.

Last year, India's total food grain production figures for wheat, rice and maize stood at 76 million tonnes, 95 million tonnes and 18 million tonnes, respectively.

"While food prices have appreciated nearly 100 per cent globally amid instances of riots in some countries due to scarcity, the price line in India has remained at moderate levels."

Meanwhile, he underlined the need to further strengthen the Agriculture Extension Programme to improve farm productivity. "The use of chemical fertilisers should be supplemented with micro nutrients, such as zinc and sulphur , to nourish the soil and maintain its fertility."

Rai stressed the need for genetic research in the field of agriculture to meet the challenges of rising demand, global warming, falling ground water levels and loss of soil fertility.