INDIA’S FOOD SYSTEMS NEED A RESET FOR VIKSIT BHARAT, RETHINK POLICY FOCUS
As India advances toward its Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, transforming the country’s food systems will be essential for achieving sustainable, nutritious, and resilient growth. In this analysis published in Business Standard, Dr. Anjani Kumar, Senior Research Fellow at IFPRI and Dr. Smita Sirohi, ICAR National Professor, MS Swaminathan Chair, ICAR–National Institute of Agricultural Economics and Policy Research, argue that while India’s policy framework has successfully ensured staple grain production and food availability, it has also created new challenges, including distorted cropping patterns, environmental stress, and limited dietary diversity. The authors call for a shift toward a more integrated food systems approach that aligns agricultural production, nutrition goals, and sustainability priorities to better meet the country’s evolving development needs.
