Despite the different agricultural technologies helping India to increase its grain production in the past five years, there is no solution to the country’s hunger problem. As per a report, more than 3000 children die on a daily basis due to illness caused by malnutrition. Yet a huge amount of rodent infested rice and wheat is rotting in the field all across the nation. Unfortunately, dearth of better storage facilities and corruption inefficient, corruption-plagued public distribution system has caused this situation. Ironically, India’s storage facilities have not kept up with the grain’s pace of development. Consequently, grain surpluses are now being stored outside, where the chances of rotting drastically increase. This inefficient system has lots of fatal consequences. Instead of the grain filling the stomach of a large amount of poor people in our country, it is feeding rodents and insects, growing fungus, and decomposing. According to Reuters, this year, officials estimated that 6 million tons of India’s grain worth $1.5 billion could become inedible. Analysts say the losses could be far higher as more than 19 million tons are now lying in the open, exposed to scorching summer heat and monsoon rains. If this trend continues, then the figure of children dying due to malnutrition will simply grow. Can we afford such a situation?
Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
Nagpur, M.S.