Changing pattern of consumption and its implications for food security in India
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Date
2015
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PAU
Abstract
The issue of household food security has been one of the major concerns in India which depends upon
several factors such as growth trends in population, per capita income, urbanization, changes in taste in the era of globalization and future growth of the bottom-most section of the population. The present study is attempted to highlight the long-term changes in consumption pattern in India from 1993-94 to 2009-10. The consumption pattern of agricultural commodities was analyzed temporally, spatially and across the income classes using household consumption data from consumption expenditure survey conducted by National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO). The sharp decline in cereal consumption scrutinised by the study can be attributed to changes in tastes and preferences of the consumer within the food group from ‘cereals’ to ‘non-cereal’ food items and from ‘coarse’ to ‘fine’ cereals and in general from, ‘food’ to ‘non-food items’. The results of the study revealed a structural shift in consumption pattern over the past two ecades. Diminishing share of essential food commodities (cereals, pulses, edible oil, vegetables) and increasing share of high value agricultural commodities (milk and its products, egg, fish, meat and fruits), with rise in income empiricallyconfirms Bennet’s law of consumption. The results further, were also in conformity with the Engel’s Law of consumption. The study also investigated the relationship of change in household consumption with household income, socio-economic development and other development indicators of the major states. The study brought out that the states (Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) with highest female literacy percent have low share of consumption expenditure on cereals, pulses, edible oil, vegetables and total food and high share of consumption expenditure on egg, fish, meat , fruits and non-food items. Looking into the supply and demand balance for cereals, it appeared that demand will be met in future with a surplus of cereals till 2025-26. However, it is highly likely that the pulses grains would
be short in supply of demand in the coming years underthe third and fourth scenarios (8 and 9 per cent rowth rate) of the study. The study suggested knowledge based agriculture, innovations and policies, which could provide local solutions by global experiences as a prerequisite in this changing scenario.
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