Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Food security

Sir, — For food security to gain real value (March 23), a few additional conditions are needed. Successful agriculture largely depends on rise in productivity, which would come with higher use efficiency of inputs and thus reduced cost of production. The degree of adulteration and related malpractice continue to be so high that even the rodents in the warehouses appear more generous.

A new brand of traders who modify, process and prepare ready-mades of a hostile quality make more money than can be imagined.

The distance between the farm gate and the dining table is growing as in the West and with more costs involved, the discomfort of the consumer increases.

The value of the rupee has declined and with the wage not adjusted to price rise, the urban consumer pays as much as 65 per cent of his earnings for food alone.

Policy-makers, in the company of consumers and farmers, must look for a solution.

The concept of food security has made no progress in reducing poverty and hunger, although the current endeavour is enough for food security to be achieved.

Sankaram Ayala,
California, U.S.

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