Context:
India’s food consumption patterns are rapidly evolving, with declining dependence on cereals such as rice and wheat and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy, and processed foods, necessitating a shift in agricultural production and cropping patterns.
Key Highlights:
Changing Consumption Patterns
• Urban households now spend less than 35% of food expenditure on cereals, compared to over 60% three decades ago.
• Consumption of fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and processed foods is steadily rising.
• Rural consumption patterns are also shifting, though at a slower pace.
Mismatch Between Production and Consumption
• Rice and wheat occupy around 40% of India’s cropped area.
• Agricultural policy and procurement systems still heavily favour cereals.
• India imports nearly 60% of its edible oil requirements, showing a mismatch between domestic production and dietary demand.
Role of Public Nutrition Programs
• The PM-POSHAN (Mid-Day Meal) Scheme, feeding 10–12 crore children daily, can generate demand for diversified food items such as pulses, millets, vegetables, and eggs.
Benefits of Crop Diversification
• Millets require significantly less water compared to rice and wheat.
• Pulses improve soil fertility through nitrogen fixation.
• Diversification helps farmers reduce market risks and increase income sources.
Relevant Prelims Points:
- Minimum Support Price (MSP)
- Price announced by the government to ensure minimum income for farmers.
- Declared for 23 crops based on recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP).
- Procurement
- Government purchase of crops, mainly rice and wheat, for the Public Distribution System (PDS).
- PM-POSHAN Scheme
- Government program providing free nutritious meals to school children in government and aided schools.
- Aims to improve nutrition and school attendance.
- Dietary Diversity
- Consumption of a variety of food groups to ensure adequate intake of essential nutrients.
- Farm Diversification
- Cultivating multiple crops and integrating allied activities such as horticulture, livestock, and fisheries.
Relevant Mains Points:
Importance of Agricultural Diversification
• Aligns agricultural production with changing food consumption patterns.
• Improves nutritional security by promoting diverse food sources.
• Reduces water stress and environmental degradation associated with monocropping.
• Enhances income stability for farmers, especially smallholders.
Challenges to Diversification
• Government procurement policies strongly favour rice and wheat.
• Limited market infrastructure and storage facilities for horticultural crops.
• Price volatility and lack of assured markets for diversified crops.
Policy Measures Required
• Introduce assured procurement pilots for pulses, millets, and oilseeds.
• Implement price-deficiency payment schemes.
• Expand crop insurance coverage for diversified crops.
• Promote research and innovation linked to market demand.
Way Forward
• Reform MSP and procurement systems to support diversified crops.
• Promote millets, pulses, oilseeds, and horticulture through targeted incentives.
• Strengthen value chains, cold storage, and food processing infrastructure.
• Integrate diversification with nutrition and climate-resilient agriculture policies.
UPSC Relevance:
• GS Paper III – Agriculture, Food Security, and Economic Development
• GS Paper I – Human Geography (Agricultural patterns and food systems)
• Prelims – MSP, PM-POSHAN, Crop Diversification