Lok Sabha Question No. 323 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-12-05
Subject: Climate Change related Hunger Crisis
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, Mohammad Jawed, Adoor Prakash, Behanan Benny, Kumbakudi Sudhakaran, A. Chellakumar, Karti P. Chidambaram

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 323

TO BE ANSWERED ON 05 TH  DECEMBER, 2023

## CLIMATE CHANGE RELATED HUNGER CRISIS

323. SHRI SAPTAGIRI SANKAR ULAKA: ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH: DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED: SHRI KUMBAKUDI SUDHAKARAN: SHRI BENNY BEHANAN: DR. A. CHELLAKUMAR:

SHRI KARTI P. CHIDAMBARAM:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष और ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी

- be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of the climate change-related hunger crisis in the country and if so, the details thereof; (b) whether it is a fact that the climate crisis, extreme weather, irregular rainfall and drought has led to decline in foodgrains production and increased structural rural poverty; (c) whether it is also a fact that a major proportion of the population is facing food insecurity in the country; and (d) if so, the details of the steps taken by the Government to provide food and financial
- security to the affected people, at present and in the future?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ ͪष और ͩकसान कãयाण मंğी (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a) & (b): Presently there is  no  specific  information  available  on climate  hunger crisis in the country.  Climate change events like extreme weather, irregular rainfall and drought, are known to have impact on food grains production. To deal with the impact of climate change in food grains production, the Government is implementing National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA). NMSA is one of the Missions within the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) which aims to evolve and implement strategies to make Indian agriculture more resilient to the changing climate and  to  sustain  food  grains  production.  NMSA  was  approved  for  three  major components  i.e.  Rainfed  Area  Development  (RAD);  On  Farm  Water  Management (OFWM); and Soil Health Management (SHM). Subsequently, new programmes such as  namely  Soil  Health  Card  (SHC),  Paramparagat  Krishi  Vikas  Yojana  (PKVY), Mission Organic Value Chain Development in North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER), Per Drop More Crop, National Bamboo Mission (NBM) etc. were also included. The National Food Security Mission (NFSM) scheme is being implemented in all the 28 States and Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh with the objectives of increasing foodgrains production through area expansion and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner, restoring soil fertility and productivity at the individual farm level and enhancing farm level economy to restore confidence amongst the farmers.

To address the impact of climate change, the National Agricultural Research System (NRSA) under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India has released 2279 high  yielding  varieties  /  hybrids  of  field  crops  for  different  agro-climatic  conditions during 2014-15 to 2022-23, out of which 1888 varieties are biotic and abiotic stress tolerant, and 217 are less water requiring / drought/ heat /moisture stress tolerant.

Although  climate  change  is  understood  to  have  its  negative  impact  on  food crops,  through  the  help  of  technology,  the  negative  impacts  have  been  dealt  with effectively.  With  the  Government  interventions,  the  food  grains  production  has continuously increased in the country during last 5 years despite the impact of climate change which can be seen in the below table.

(In million tonnes)

| Year                      |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23 | 2023-24                                      |
|---------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|----------------------------------------------|
| Production of food grains |     297.5 |    310.74 |    315.72 |    329.68 | 332.07 (Target, as per 1st Advance estimate) |

(c) & (d): Government  enacted  the  National  Food  Security  Act,  2013  which provides food and nutritional security in human life cycle approach, by ensuring access to adequate quantity of quality food at affordable prices to people to live a life with dignity. The Act provides for coverage of up to 75% of the rural and up to 50% of the urban  population,  i.e.  about  two-thirds  of  the  total  population  of  the  country,  for receiving  food  grains  at  prices  specified  in  Schedule-I  prices  of  the  Act,  which  at Census  2011  comes  to  81.35  crore  persons.  The  Coverage  under  the  Act  is substantially high to ensure that all the vulnerable and needy sections of the society get its benefit. The Act is being successfully implemented in all the States/UTs and at present, against the intended coverage of 81.35 crore, the States/UTs have identified 80.24 crore persons.

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