This paper critically examines India’s agricultural trade policy mainly from the perspective of public policy objectives, including food security, poverty alleviation and sustainable development, but also against the benchmark of the WTO rules and India’s commitments therein.
India did not experience any food price spikes during 2007–08 when global food prices erupted. It was partly due to India’s ban on exports of wheat and common rice India resorted to.
This paper by CACP shows that direct transfer of food and fertilizer subsidies in cash to targeted beneficiaries has the potential to save almost Rs 60,000 crores, without any major adverse impact on the beneficiaries.
Despite ensuring ample availability of food, existence of food insecurity at the micro-level in the country has remained a formidable challenge for India.
Cutting input subsidies in agriculture, getting incentive structures right and declaring organised retail as a priority sector will boost private and public investment
Food security has re-emerged as one of the central issues on the global agenda since the 2008 food, fuel, and financial crisis. After decades of neglect, the crisis has refocused attention of national governments and international organizations on investments in agriculture, food, and nutritional security.
The biggest experiment in the world to provide food security to the poor would be successful here only if the government finds ways to deliver it at a much lower cost
