Food Security Status of Assam: A Districts Level Analysis

Abstract

Food security is the foremost important issue of a state or a country. The development of a country or a state is highly dependent on it. Food unsecured population cannot think for other issues of their life. In the state of Assam, just after independence the state had enough food for the population, which gradually decreased until 1981-83. But, after 1981-83, the per capita availability of food grains had increased gradually due to use of modern practices of cultivation viz., high yielding varieties, fertilizers, etc. which led to increase in production. Nevertheless, this increase could not surpass the normative requirement of total food grains. Thus, although per capita availability of total cereals was marginally higher than the normative requirement, the state remains food deficit state since 1961-63 to 2000-02. Almost similar trend of change in per capita availability of food grains was observed in all the districts of the state with a few exceptions. Per capita availability of pulses as well as oilseeds was found to be very low, which was far below the normative requirement and in most of the cases revealed a declining trend.