Cropping Pattern, Food Security and Viksit Bharat: Present Status and Way Forward

Viksit Bharat or Developed India represents a comprehensive national vision aimed at transforming India into a fully developed nation by 2047, marking the centenary of independence. This initiative encompasses multidimensional development across economic, infrastructural, educational, healthcare, sustainability, and technological domains. A cornerstone of this vision is ensuring consistent access to sufficient, safe, nutritious, and diverse food resources for all citizens. However, current agricultural trends in Maharashtra present concerning patterns that may impede progress toward these objectives. Analysis of Maharashtra's agricultural data reveals a significant shift in cropping patterns toward commercial cultivation. While production of staple grains such as wheat and rice has increased with wheat production rising by approximately 23% and rice by 17% over the past decade, there has been a marked decline in the cultivation of nutritionally dense coarse cereals and millets showing approximately 31% reduction in cultivation area since 2010. This shift toward mono-cropping commercial agriculture presents potential challenges for comprehensive food security goals and Viksit Bharat. The National Food Security Act enacted by the Indian Parliament in 2013, established a legal framework to ensure food security through subsidized grain distribution to eligible households. The Act primarily addresses three fundamental dimensions of food security: availability, accessibility, and affordability. According to government data, the program currently reaches approximately 813 million beneficiaries nearly 67% of the population. However, this legislation addresses only partial aspects of the more comprehensive definition of food security established by international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization, which encompasses nutritional adequacy, dietary diversity, and sustainability factors. The emerging negative correlation between Maharashtra's evolving cropping patterns and comprehensive food security principles is particularly concerning within the context of Viksit Bharat aspirations. This study examines the relationship between Maharashtra's cropping patterns and food security outcomes, while also investigating the nutritional significance of millets and their production trends both within Maharashtra and globally. Global millet production has increased by approximately 4.7% annually since 2018, contrasting with Maharashtra's declining production trends, highlighting potential opportunities for agricultural policy recalibration to better align with comprehensive food security objectives.