India's food systems need a reset for Viksit Bharat, rethink policy focus

India’s food story is celebrated as a remarkable success. From shortages in the 1960s to feeding 1.4 billion people today—and exporting over $50 billion worth of agricultural products annually—the country has come a long way. Yet this success conceals a troubling paradox: India continues to struggle with malnutrition, rising diet-related diseases, environmental stress, and significant food loss. The issue is no longer food availability; it is the absence of a coherent food systems approach.   Recent estimates suggest that nearly one-third of food produced in India is lost or wasted, a pattern also highlighted in global assessments by the FAO. At the same time, undernutrition and obesity coexist, reflecting a deeper structural imbalance in diets and food access. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), about 35 per cent of children under five are stunted, nearly 67 per cent are anaemic, and around 3 per cent are overweight. These concerns were also echoed in a recent high-level policy dialogue on food systems governance in New Delhi, which underscored the need for stronger convergence across agriculture, nutrition, and environmental policies. As India moves towards its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, it must rethink how food is produced, distributed, and consumed.   A production success, a nutrition challenge   India’s policy framework has historically focused on ensuring food security through staple production—particularly rice and wheat. This approach delivered results. But it also created unintended consequences: cropping pattern distortions, groundwater depletion, and limited dietary diversity. Today, while calorie availability is adequate, access to diverse, safe, and nutritious food remains uneven. Evidence from global and Indian studies, including those by IFPRI, shows that improving nutrition outcomes requires diversification of both production systems and diets. Pulses, fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods are often less accessible or affordable for large sections of the population. Policy must now shift—from food security to nutrition security, from staple-centric systems to diversified food systems, and from quantity to quality of diets.   The real problem: Fragmentation or lack of coherence   India’s food economy is governed by multiple ministries—agriculture, food, health, environment, and trade—each with distinct mandates. This leads to conceptual, institutional, and data fragmentation. For instance, agricultural policies incentivise cereal production, while nutrition programmes aim to diversify diets. Environmental policies promote sustainability, but input subsidies often encourage resource-intensive practices. Without convergence, these policies can work at cross purposes. This fragmentation is the single biggest barrier to transforming India’s food system—a concern increasingly emphasised in both national policy discussions and global food systems discourse.   Why a food systems approach matters   Food systems connect multiple domains: production (crops, livestock, fisheries), value chains (processing, storage, logistics), food environments (prices, access, safety), and consumption and nutrition outcomes. A food systems approach recognises these linkages and aims to align policies across them. As highlighted in global food systems frameworks following the UN Food Systems Summit, this requires integrating agriculture with nutrition and health outcomes, aligning production incentives with dietary needs, and embedding sustainability into food policies.   Rebalancing supply and demand   India’s policy focus has largely been on supply. But food systems are equally about what people eat. There is an urgent need to (i) promote healthy diets, including pulses, millets, fruits, vegetables, and animal-source foods; (ii) address the rapid rise of ultra-processed food consumption, a trend increasingly flagged in public health research; and (iii) strengthen food safety systems and consumer awareness. Without addressing demand, supply-side reforms will not translate into improved nutrition outcomes.   Fixing governance, not just policies   Transforming food systems requires governance reform. First, India needs institutional convergence mechanisms that bring together agriculture, health, and environment ministries. Second, governance must be decentralised. Districts—where multiple schemes intersect—should become the focal points for convergence. Initiatives such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and the Aspirational Districts Programme offer important lessons. Third, the balance between markets and the state must be recalibrated. Markets are essential for efficiency, but they need to be complemented by smart regulation and public investment.   Unlocking investment and innovation   A major constraint is the relatively low level of private investment in agriculture and food systems, driven by policy uncertainty and perceived risks. Innovative financing models—such as blended finance, food systems bonds, and public–private partnerships—can help unlock capital. Food systems must be repositioned as a growth sector linked to climate resilience, nutrition, and livelihoods.   India’s next big reform is not in agriculture alone—it is in how we connect agriculture to nutrition, markets to health, and policy to outcomes. Until then, the paradox will persist: a nation that produces enough food but struggles to nourish its people.  

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  Dr Anjani Kumar is Senior Research Fellow at the International Food Policy Institute, New Delhi, and Dr Smita Sirohi is ICAR National Professor, MS Swaminathan Chair, ICAR–National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, New Delhi.   Disclaimer: These are personal views of the writer. They do not necessarily reflect the opinion of www.business-standard.com or the Business Standard newspaper