Reforms in PDS - a way to food security

Across the country there have been reports of a grain going to waste while hundreds of thousands continue to starve. The challenge of meeting the food requirement of an ever increasing population can only be met by practicing sustainable agriculture protecting natural resources from being degraded, polluted and using production technologies that conserve and enhance the natural resource base of crops. Food is the first among the hierarchical needs of a human being. Therefore food security should have the first charge on the available financial resources. Food security is the “the access of all people to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. It has four basic components: availability accessibility utilization and stabilization. Food security is now defined as physical, economic and social access to balanced diet, clean drinking water, environmental hygiene and primary health care. To achieve sustainable food security three dimensions of this problem need concurrent attention. They are Availability of food, Access to food, Absorption of food. The universal declaration of human rights of 1948 asserts in article 25(1) that “everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well being of himself and his family including food”. National Food Security Act giving legal rights to food can be implemented only by attending to the safe stories of both grains and perishable commodities like fruits, vegetables and milk. At the same time animal nutrition also require greater attention. Unfortunately grazing land is fast shrinking. Animals are underfed and are therefore low yielding. Animal food security is essential for human nutrition security.