India’s food security depends on rice and wheat. The overproduction of rice has already led to problems. The quality of rice
is not good, which is a result of growing rice in areas where rice is not the traditional crop. But people living in difficult terrain do not have enough water to cultivate rice and wheat.
But water is becoming scarcer by the day. To make matters worse, the public distribution system (pds - which provides subsidized food to the poor) pushes water-intensive crops in regions where natural resources like water are already under severe pressure. Rice is not the staple food in these areas - it was only introduced through the pds.
Coarse
grains (millets and barley) are better adapted to these conditions. In rural India, coarse cereals have been the mainstay of diet and
agriculture. These are highly nutritious grains, which are rich in iron, calcium and other vitamins. Moreover, residues of traditional crops provided sufficient fodder for the animals.
To meet the needs of the increasing population, more chemical fertilizers, pesticides and mechanization of agriculture would be needed in rain fed areas. Even though most people in the area are aware of the fact that rice is not as nutritious as coarse grains. Obviously, very few lessons have been learnt from the past.
The coarse cereals are better suited for the dry land agriculture and demand little water. But the government has allowed the area under coarse grains to shrink through its agricultural financing policies. Crop loans and crop insurance are not available for these crops. Nor do these crops benefit from government subsidies on inputs. Proper remuneration needs to be provided to the farmers for growing traditional crops like millets and barley.
Coarse grains make good environmental and social sense. But India’s policy makers do not see an important role for coarse cereals. pds ensures a regular market and a steady price for rice and wheat farmers only. Moreover, availability of cheap rice and wheat from the pds has lead to a change in the eating habits of people who have traditionally relied on coarse grains.