Food Security Action Scheme
REPORT on Date: 22-07-2008

As a response to the recent food crisis experienced by the State and in view of the dwindling productivity and production of food crops, vegetables, milk and eggs in the State the LDF Government decided to formulate a Food Security Action Scheme with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency in food by 2011-’12. The various schemes related to productivity and production of food crops in the State under different departments of the Government and local self Government institutions are synergised under this scheme to achieve the targets set forth in the stipulated time.What’s real development? It am be conjectured as an uninterrupted progress towards human well-being. This cannot be gauged by mere growth rate of a country. There is no meaning in pointing at growth rate without referring to the development in basic sectors like agriculture. As far as Kerala is concerned it is undesirable to think that food crops needed by us will always be produced by other states and supplied to us. It is a pity that those who fervently ask for protection of paddy fields and promotion of cultivation of food crops are considered out of tune with the times. Let’s remember that the USA and West European countries promote agriculture with heavy subsidies because they know that the basis for development is agricultural progress.Before a decade paddy farming in Kerala covered an area of 3.2 lakh hectares. But now the area has been reduced to 2.5 lakh hectares. If this trend continues, by the end of the 11th plan paddy cultivating area will come down to less than two lakh hectares. We can no longer hope to get all our requirements from other states at fair prices. However there is a silver-lining for us: Last year production of paddy per ha. in Kerala rose to 2.44 tons which is considerably above the national average. This shows that by increasing the area of paddy cultivation, and careful grooming we can produce most of the food materials required by us.Economists point out that, with the increase in population and the depletion in the stocks of food materials held by the Government, there will be an 11 percent increase in the price of food crops. The possibility of famine is staring at us. The rate of productivity in coconut farming, pepper cultivation, and in other areas of agriculture is also falling. In the case of milk production, meat, eggs etc and vegetables we consume only a portion what we produce. All these underscore the urgent need to formulate and implement agricultural development schemes on a war footing in order to ensure the food security of our people, the means of livelihood of large section of our people and to a preserve salubrious  nature.In fact the Left Democratic movement has been agitating for quite some time against reclamation of paddy fields and wetlands and keeping farmlands fallow. It is a pity that most uncharitable propaganda was unleashed against these noble-intentioned initiatives. The present government is enacting law against the filling of paddy fields and wetland. Steps have been taken to make sure that entire paddy fields are cultivated without leaving them fallow. Government is procuring paddy at a higher price. Likewise the State Government has been making all possible efforts to avail better prices for the agricultural produce of the State.The Economic Review-the forerunner of the budget of a year, recounted in its last number that the buffer stocks of food crops have miserably depleted. Without increasing food production urgently, we will not be able to surmount food scarcity. That shortage of food is a grave global problem has been amply borne out by the nonsensical statement of the President of the U.S. that the affluence of the Indian middle class was causative of this scarcity. In this context the LDF Government decided to formulate and implement a food security programme, encompassing the activities of various Government agencies and also enlisting the synergy of NGOs. This action programme within the ambit of the 11th plan has been expected to overcome the adverse tendencies existing in the State against the production of food crops. It was decided that a massive people’s programme with efforts to change the attitude and perspective of the people was to be launched. After detailed discussion with Government, the State Planning Board prepared the blueprint for a Food Security Scheme aiming at major increases in the production of paddy, milk and eggs in the State. Since this is vast scheme involving different departments at different levels the plan of action for the programme had to be evolved through discussions. Meanwhile the opposition was making an orchestrated hullabaloo under the premise that the Government is jeopardising the food security plan owing to grave differences of opinion.But the Food Security Scheme was taking definite shape under the Government while all this hue and cry was going on. Food Security Scheme aims at increasing the production of paddy to 9.45 lakh tonnes, milk to 35 lakhs tonnes and that of eggs to 2395 million in 2011-12. It has also been provided in the scheme, that, if need be, the targets can be revised, after an interim review, considering the achievements and further possibilities. An amount of Rs. 1200.10 crores has been set apart from the plan and non-plan allocation to various departments of the Government, Local Self Government institutions and from the allocations for centrally formulated schemes for the year 2008-09, for increase in food production. In view of the continuing food crisis it was decided that another sum of Rs. 113.5 crores could also be added to the original amount for facilitating procurement of paddy, ration subsidy etc. Thus the total outlay for the Food security Action Scheme for 2008-09 was fixed at Rs. 1313.6 crores. The various programmes of the different departments ultimately aimed at increasing productivity and production of food crops and their effective distribution are to be dovetailed to the Food Security Action Scheme.It has been stipulated that the allocations made to the different departments of the government and the local self governments both under plan and non-plan heads are to be expended by way of implementing the Food Security Scheme under the supervision and control of the respective departments and LSG institutions. A cabinet sub committee has been constituted with the Chief Minister as Chairman and Agriculture Minister as convenor to ensure the coordination of the different programmes under this scheme and to get it people- oriented. Ministers of LSG, and Rural Development, Water Resources, Cooperation, Fisheries and Finance are the members of the sub committee.

Besides this a coordination committee of higher officials with the Additional Chief Secretary and Agricultural Production Commissioner as its Chairman for syngergising the different agencies and individuals engaged in food production, ensuring people’s participation and giving guidelines for publicity has also been constituted.