National food policy in the frame-work of a national food budget

Abstract

Interest in food policy in our country varies inversely with the ease in food availability. A great deal of concern is expressed and a variety of steps are undertaken when the country is faced with scarcity. But as soon as conditions become slightly more favourable, all the brave words are forgotten and once again we relapse into an atmosphere of euphoria. It is assumed by the authors of this note that the need for proper management of available foodgrains in the country is an abiding need and the measures to be initiated to cope with the problems are of a long-term character. We have to evolve a system which can meet the demands of the situation in a period of scarcity as much as in a period of relative abundance. Against this background, in section one of this paper, we propose to discuss the basic features of the food problem in our country and to set out the objectives of food policy in that context. Section two discusses the rationale of a national food budget to fulfil the objectives of food policy. Section three gives an illustration of a national food budget for the current year (1975) and explains how such a budget can be constructed. In the last section we summarise the steps involved in building a national food policy for the coming years.