India’s struggle to feed a billion people

Vijender Vardhman knows a thing or two about rice. From his small family-run store in south Delhi he sells a remarkable 63 varieties, not to mention a multitude of pulses, grains and packaged goods squeezed tightly on to his shelves.

Over the past six months the price of India’s most common staple, basmati rice, has increased by up to 70 per cent and ordinary rice by about 10 per cent. “The basmati rice is now between 80 to 100 rupees [
Asia’s rapid development, with a larger and wealthier middle class consuming more food, has been a big factor. At the same time, land that was once used for rice production was given over to housing development, industry and even golf courses.

Since 2006, an additional reason has been the growth of the biofuels market which has encouraged more farmers to grow corn rather than rice. As a result of all of this, global stocks are at their lowest in two decades.

Independent