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The consequences of Putin's war will play out in regions already experiencing acute food insecurity and in food-importing countries that are most vulnerable to supply shocks and price increases. Russia's invasion has put global stocks of grains and oilseeds into question and caused energy prices to soar, throwing fuel onto the fire and risking pushing food insecurity skyward, says Caitlin Welsh, Director of the Global <keyword id="118345" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-security" source="Orion">Food Security</keyword> Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. The impacts of disruption to agriculture in the Black Sea region could take months, or even years, to play out. Beyond pain at the gas pump, Americans will continue to experience sticker shock in the checkout line, with global food and fuel supply disruptions leading to even higher food prices, Welsh said. An underreported reality is that global food insecurity is already at a 10-year high. Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the follow-on effects of the pandemic -- lost jobs and wages, supply chain disruptions, food price volatility -- pushed the number of food-insecure people to record levels, Welsh says. This spike in food insecurity happened despite ample global food stocks and record-low fuel prices. Shocks to global agriculture markets can reverberate worldwide. In 2007 and 2008, decreases in production from major producers -- Australia, Burma, Russia, and others -- led to price increases and riots from Haiti to Cote d'Ivoire to nearly 40 other countries. Today, decreases in the global stocks of wheat and other grains and oilseeds from Ukraine and Russia could exacerbate ongoing crises in Afghanistan, Syria, Ethiopia, and other hotspots and aggravate instability in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. Among Ukraine's major wheat buyers, almost half already experience acute food insecurity; particularly vulnerable to a decrease in Russian wheat supply are its purchasers across Asia and Africa, Welsh said. With China pledging to purchase Russia's barley and wheat, any sanctions imposed on Russia's agriculture sector would have limited effect, Welsh said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/environment/news/3-14-percent-of-terrestrial-species-are-likely-to-face-high-risk-of-extinction-due-to-global-warming/slidelist/89915918.cms">3-14 percent of terrestrial species are likely to face high risk of extinction due to global warming</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/faqs/lic-ipo-check-out-everything-you-need-to-know/articleshow/89912921.cms">LIC IPO – All your doubts cleared</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ashneer-grover-resigns-from-bharatpe-heres-what-he-wrote-in-his-resignation-letter/articleshow/89912762.cms">Ashneer Grover resigns from BharatPe. This is what he had to say.</a>

Ukraine war threatens food security worldwide

One of the biggest challenges of today’s world is <keyword id="118345" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food-security">food security</keyword>. According to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, food security is achieved when the world population has physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences. However, millions of people across the globe do not have access to safe and adequate sources of food which can provide them with much-needed nourishment. 
 The <keyword id="397960" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food-and-Agriculture-Organisation">Food and Agriculture Organisation</keyword> (FAO) and the <keyword id="49053" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="World-Food-Programme">World Food Programme</keyword> reported in 2009 that for the first time since 1970, more than one billion people are hungry or undernourished worldwide. Furthermore, the world population will most definitely not stop growing and will demand even more food in the near future. 
 
An important element of food security is the development of agriculture. Otherwise, how would the world meet its food requirements? Nevertheless, the world has long neglected this industry. 
 
Food Crisis And Neglect Of Agriculture 
Food security has been an issue since the beginning of mankind. Humans have always been concerned with finding better and improved ways to produce food. Agriculture was a discovery that allowed man to have a stable source of food. It also allowed man to locate himself in a single place instead of moving around chasing the herds of animals, which in turn, allowed further development and specialisation of agricultural techniques and agriculture in general. 
 
Unfortunately, with developments such as the industrial revolution, agriculture, which has always been a pinnacle in the process of securing food for man, started to become a neglected industry in favour of more advanced forms of businesses. Today, many countries in the world have deficient agricultural policies to support farmers, whether small or large. 
 
Globalization has also contributed in part to the abandonment of agriculture in favour of more profitable businesses. When developed countries with resources to produce cheap food started entering the markets of countries with more deficient technology and higher food prices, local farmers were driven out of business since they could not compete with the cheaper food sold by the developed countries. 
 
Today, the world is facing a critical time in terms of food security. The recent food crisis and economic recession of 2008-2009 have driven millions of people into poverty. According to a 2010 report on food security and agricultural development by the UN Secretary General, several factors converged to make 2009 a particularly damaging year for people at risk of food insecurity: 
 
● The food crisis had pushed the prices of basic goods beyond the reach of millions of poor people. 
● The price increases forced many poor families to make compromises, such as replacing more nutritious food with food that is less nutritious, selling productive assets, withdrawing children from school, forgoing health care or education, or simply eating less. 
 
Possible Solutions 
Efforts have been made to address this enormous issue. One of the most ambitious projects of the international community is the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Back in 2000, the countries of the world committed themselves to certain concrete goals to address the major issues of the planet. The first one of these MDGs establishes that the world has committed itself to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. The concrete goal is to be able to halve the number of people living in hunger by the year 2015. 
 These kinds of concrete commitments help focus efforts throughout the world. However, it has not been enough. The <keyword id="6355833" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="united-nations">United Nations</keyword> itself reports that due to the crisis in 2008- 2009, the progress to end hunger in most regions suffered enormous setbacks. In various parts of the Africa, thousands of people have died and millions more are at risk due to one of the biggest and most severe food crisis in history. Caused by the worst drought that the region has seen in 60 years and decades of civil conflict, many inhabitants of countries such as Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia face serious threats to their lives due to shortage of food and the high prices of basic commodities. 
 
The international community has taken action and implemented various mechanisms to combat the effects of climate change. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification seeks to establish plans of action to combat this phenomenon, which greatly affects agriculture and food production. Additionally, the issue of desertification and drought has been included in other important documents such as the Agenda 21, which includes the most pressing environmental issues of the world. 
 
This is one of the most important principles that resulted from the 2009 World Summit on Food Security: it is part of the “twin-track” approach to tackle the problem: 
 
● Direct action to immediately tackle hunger for the most vulnerable 
● Medium- and long-term sustainable agricultural, food security, nutrition and rural development programmes to eliminate the root causes of hunger and poverty. 
 This is a task that must be addressed at all levels. Countries need to work on implementing adequate national policies to develop agriculture as well as securing food for their population. The <keyword id="429631" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="International-Fund-for-Agricultural-Development">International Fund for Agricultural Development</keyword>, for example, allocates money and resources to finance agricultural development projects throughout the world, especially benefiting the small farmers and the poor. On the other hand, the World Food Program delivers and distributes food to areas and regions struck by different crisis whether man-made or natural. 
 
However, the challenges not only come from the current shortage of food for the current population of our planet. Seeing the rates at which the world population is growing, efforts also need to be put to create long-term solutions which can also feed the people of the future. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation food production will have to increase by 70% to feed a population of nine billion by 2050. In order to intensify food production by that much, immense effort will have to go into new, better and more intensive ways of producing our food. 
 
Food security and agricultural development are important issues. Unless action is taken to secure adequate amounts of food for the population of the world and to improve the defective agricultural system in the world, over one billion people would be at risk of dying.

Agricultural Development And Food Security: The Challenges Ahead

As the World Trade Organisation (<keyword id="6357761" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="wto">WTO</keyword>) meets this month, India is hopeful its apprehensions on public stockholding for <keyword id="118345" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food-security">food security</keyword> will be addressed. India reiterated that it is not the only country demanding a timely resolution of the issue. 
 “Today, the environment is far more in favour of India. People are able to understand why we took the position we did took in July. This is the greatest sense of understanding and appreciation … We hope that the member-countries understand the position India has taken not just for India, but in the interest of many countries which have public stock of food grain. These are issues of sovereign right of a country. We would like WT O to address them and I am hopeful. I want WTO to engage with us, talk to us to get a solution done,” said <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword>, minister of state for commerce and industry.

India Hopes for An
Amicable Solution Of Food Security Issue At WTO Meet

A day before the World Trade Organization (<keyword id="6357761" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="wto">WTO</keyword>)’s trade negotiations committee meeting, India has said that it would stick to its stand on <keyword id="118345" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food-security">food security</keyword>. 
 Commerce and Industry Minister <keyword id="129243" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Nirmala-Sitharaman">Nirmala Sitharaman</keyword> said, “Our position remains intact…we will underline the fact that India has a sovereign duty to protect its poor. India has a sovereign right to hold food grain for that purpose. Therefore, our negotiations with WTO will be on reiterating this position.” 
 
In July this year, India had said that it wouldn’t ratify a trade facilitation agreement if its concern on the issue of food security is not addressed. It had asked WTO to amend the norms for calculating agriculture subsidy so that it can continue to purchase food grain from farmers at minimum support price and sell these to the poor at cheaper rates. 
 
WTO norms limit the value of food subsidies at 10% of the value of overall food grain production. India is demanding a change in the base year (1986-88) for calculating food subsidies.

India Will Reiterate Its Stand On Food Security At WTO Meet

In an effort to shed its image of ‘government for riches’ and feed the hungry, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is planning to step up the allocation for <keyword id="131290" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Food-Security-Act">National Food Security Act</keyword> (NFSA) like never before. 
 
As per reports, Modi government is likely to announce Rs 130,000 crore for NFSA, which is much more than what was earmarked for this year’s budget at Rs 124,419 crore. 
 
The allocation, which will come into effect from April 1, will benefit over 70 crore people across 27 states and Union Territories. 
 
Also, with more allocation, Modi yet again is riding on UPA’s schemes as the NFSA was launched during the Congress-led government’s regime. 
 
The NDA government has earlier used Aadhaar and MGNREGA schemes to its benefits. 
 
"What we are looking at is ending hunger and ensuring that every citizen of the country has two meals a day. The PM is looking at this as entitlement of the poor," a top government official told ET on condition of anonymity. 
 
Recently, Modi had slammed ideological opposition in few quarters to all kind of subsidies, saying his government would rationalise subsidies and target them at the needy. 
 
Modi personally took cognizance of the NFSA’s implementation and also asked about the progress in different states. 
 
People covered under the NFSA get coarse grain at Rs 1 per kg, wheat at Rs 2 a kg and rice at Rs 3 a kg. 
 
Still, Modi government has a long way to go as the scheme is not implemented in many states, which invited wrath of the Apex Court. 
Nine states and Union Territories are still to implement the Act. 
 
To implement the scheme, the government is riding on digitisation led by National Informatics Centre. 
 
"The entire process of grains moving from godowns to shops to the beneficiary is captured online. Even the electronic receipts given to beneficiaries and closing balance of shops are up for public scrutiny. This data and automation of process has also made the allocation of foodgrain and their release to district administration easier," one official told ET. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Budget 2016: Modi government is going to pump a whooping Rs 130,000 crore in National Food Security Act

<ul class="summary-list"><li>On Sunday, a federal judge struck down the <keyword id="6354862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump">Trump</keyword> administration's proposal that would have disqualified nearly 700,000 American adults from food stamps.</li><li>The Trump administration's proposed change to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-stamp-eligibility-proposal-may-negatively-impact-food-security-2019-7">Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program</a> would have made it more difficult for Americans to qualify for the program.</li><li>The proposed rule's impact would have likely been larger during the pandemic. The ruling cited that as of May 2020, <keyword id="24754" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="snap">SNAP</keyword> rosters added <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-outbreak-6m-enrolled-food-stamps-superrich-wealthier-2020-7">over 6 million new enrollees. </a></li></ul>A federal judge on Sunday struck down the Trump administration's proposal that would have kicked off nearly 700,000 American adults from food stamps. According to the ruling of <a href="https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2020cv0119-107">D.C. US District Court,</a> the Trump administration's proposed changes to alter <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-stamp-eligibility-proposal-may-negatively-impact-food-security-2019-7"> Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) </a>"radically and abruptly alters decades of regulatory practice, leaving States scrambling and exponentially increasing food insecurity for tens of thousands of Americans."Last year, the Trump administration <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-stamp-eligibility-proposal-may-negatively-impact-food-security-2019-7">proposed a series of changes to the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program </a>which tightened requirements for Americans to be eligible to qualify for the program. An analysis from <a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/101368/estimated_effect_of_recent_proposed_changes_to_snap_regulations.pdf">the Urban Institute</a> estimated the proposals combined could kick off <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/proposed-trump-administration-rules-affect-millions-snap-food-stamps-study-2019-12">around 3.7 million low-income Americans</a> of food stamps. Even as the pandemic began to hit the United States, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rule-change-kicks-food-stamps-americans-off-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3">Trump administration announced in March</a> it would move forward with the proposal to raise the bar to qualify for SNAP. It was estimated in March this change would <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-rule-change-kicks-food-stamps-americans-off-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-3">have disqualified nearly 700,000 American adults from food stamps. </a>The ruling noted the USDA, the agency administering the program, has been "icily silent" about how many American adults would have been denied from SNAP benefits during the pandemic. The federal ruling cited that "as of May 2020, SNAP rosters have grown by over 17 percent with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-outbreak-6m-enrolled-food-stamps-superrich-wealthier-2020-7">over 6 million new enrollees</a>" in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The USDA did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.Meanwhile, many Americans across the country are suffering from the financial insecurities of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/unemployed-states-of-america-life-without-a-paycheck-in-2020-2020-9">chronic unemployment. </a>According to a survey <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/">by Pew</a> in August, half of adults who lost a job due to the coronavirus pandemic <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pew-half-of-adults-lost-jobs-during-covid-still-unemployed-2020-9">remain unemployed</a> and 60% who took a pay cut continue to make less than their income prior to March.<ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coronavirus-outbreak-6m-enrolled-food-stamps-superrich-wealthier-2020-7">6 million people enrolled for food stamps in the first 3 months of the US coronavirus outbreak as America's superrich kept getting wealthier</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/families-that-receive-snap-benefits-will-have-coverage-gap-due-to-shutdown-2019-1">15 million low-income households will have a lapse in food benefits because of the government shutdown</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-target-impact-from-trump-food-stamp-changes-2019-12">More than 700,00 people will soon lose food-stamp benefits under a new Trump administration rule — and that's terrible news for Walmart, Target, Kroger, and dollar stores</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-stamp-eligibility-proposal-may-negatively-impact-food-security-2019-7">A Trump administration proposal to tighten eligibility for food stamps could affect millions of Americans and hurt some low-cost retailers</a></li></ul>

Federal judge rules against Trump administration's proposal that would have rid food stamps for 700,000

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Sec. of <keyword id="6355165" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="agriculture">Agriculture</keyword> nominee <keyword id="249828" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Tom-Vilsack">Tom Vilsack</keyword> said he will prioritize <keyword id="6361617" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="climate-change">climate change</keyword> and food security as head of the <keyword id="134457" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="USDA">USDA</keyword>.</li><li>Vilsack urged Congress to create an advisory board of farmers to monitor carbon emissions in farming.</li><li>President Joe <keyword id="60973" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Biden">Biden</keyword> proposed funding for <keyword id="52652" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="nutrition">nutrition</keyword> programs, and Vilsack plans to act on Biden's proposals to combat food insecurity.</li></ul>Sec. of Agriculture nominee Tom Vilsack said during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday that he plans to prioritize efforts to address climate change and food insecurity, which are main issues in President Joe Biden's stimulus plan.Vilsack, who served as the head of the Dept. of Agriculture under former President Barack Obama, told lawmakers during his hearing that he recognizes the economic hardships Americans have faced from the pandemic and will work to ensure the USDA pushes food insecurity to the top of its agenda. Climate change was also a widely discussed issue, and Vilsack stressed that agriculture could play an essential role in addressing the crisis."There's an opportunity for us to create new market incentives for soil health, for carbon sequestration, for methane capture and reuse," Vilsack said.He urged Congress to create an advisory group of farmers to provide guidance on how to structure the carbon market and noted that any policy to reduce carbon emissions would be voluntary, and that it "has to be structured and devised and designed in a way in which the principal beneficiaries are farmers."The USDA is also responsible for overseeing nutrition programs, and Biden included <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-will-implement-executive-actions-to-provide-relief-to-americans-2021-1">funding for those programs</a> in his stimulus plan to address the significant amount of Americans dealing with food insecurity during the pandemic.Vilsack said he will make it easier to apply for nutrition benefits, like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and noted the need to look at the level of <keyword id="24754" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="snap">SNAP</keyword> benefits provided, implying that larger benefits will be needed in the future.A <a href="https://t.co/LpHhvpvA95?amp=1">study</a> published in the American Medical Association found that more than 20% of people earning between $50,000 and $75,000 per year reported food insecurity during the pandemic, emphasizing a need for increased aid in stimulus proposals. The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced Vilsack in a unanimous vote on Tuesday, and he now faces confirmation in the Senate.

Sec. of Agriculture nominee plans to prioritize food security and climate change

Haryana Government has asked the state’s <keyword id="54048" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Food-and-Drug-Administration">Food and Drug Administration</keyword> (FDA) to collect samples of all food and drink samples available in the market. 
 The State’s <keyword id="2906958" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Health-Minister-Anil-Vij">Health Minister Anil Vij</keyword> has directed the agency to check all edible products for adulteration in the state’s FDA meeting. 
 
Vij said the test labs at Chandigarh and Karnal would be upgraded and four new facilities would be established at Gurgaon, Panchkula, Bhiwani and Hansi. 
 
There is also a proposal to set up a lab to test Ayurvedic medicines. 
 
There has also been an action plan to increase the efficiency of Senior Drug Control Officers (SDCOs) and Drug Control Officers (DCOs). Now, no officer can work at a station for more than a year. The dealings of SDCOs and DCOs would also be monitored. 
 
The government would also introduce online process to get new license, renewals and also information about testing of food items. 
 
Parveen Garg has been handed the post of Joint Commissioner of FDA. This is expected to increase the efficiency of the agency. 
 
(Image credit: Indiatimes)

Haryana asks FDA to test all food items

<ul><li>Enough foodgrain stock is lying in godowns of state governments which they can lift from Friday onwards for free distribution to 8 crore <keyword id="64839" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Migrants">migrants</keyword> who do not have ration cards to avail such supplies, Union Food Minister <keyword id="973" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ram-Vilas-Paswan">Ram Vilas Paswan</keyword> said.</li><li>The state-run <keyword id="6354672" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="food-corporation-of-india">Food Corporation of India</keyword> (FCI), which is the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains, has been directed to make necessary arrangements for this purpose, he said.</li><li>About Rs 3,500 crore will be spent for this intervention by the centre.</li></ul>Enough foodgrain stock is lying in godowns of state governments which they can lift from Friday onwards for free distribution to 8 crore migrants who do not have ration cards to avail such supplies, Union Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday said. Paswan hailed the government's decision to distribute free 5 kg rice or wheat per person and 1 kg chana per family to migrants for the next two months, as part of the second tranche of the economic stimulus package to help those affected due to the COVID-19 lockdown. "There is adequate stock of foodgrains lying with state godowns. Our ministry is fully prepared to supply ration to 8 crore migrants. These additional 10 per cent poor do not have ration cards, but will get the benefit of free dry ration," Paswan told after the announcement. The state-run Food Corporation of India (FCI), which is the government's nodal agency for procurement and distribution of foodgrains, has been directed to make necessary arrangements for this purpose, he said. "Once the order is issued, states can immediately lift from tomorrow the grains from godowns and start distribution to migrants through the Public Distribution System (PDS)," Paswan said. For instance in Bihar, over 14 lakh poor who are not yet covered under the <keyword id="128143" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="National-Food-Security">National Food Security</keyword> Act (NFSA) or any state ration card scheme will benefit, he explained. Likewise across the country, there are around 40 lakh poor whom the states have not yet identified for coverage under the NFSA, the minister said. "They all will be benefited." Paswan also mentioned that it is the responsibility of the state governments now to identify the poor migrants and ensure free supplies reach them. States can send the details of migrant beneficiaries to the central government later, he added. About Rs 3,500 crore will be spent for this intervention by the centre. Currently, the FCI has a foodgrain stock of over 671 lakh tonnes, of which rice is 271 lakh tonnes and wheat 400 lakh tonnes, as per official data. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/economy/news/nirmala-sitharaman-says-mnrega-job-seekers-have-surged-in-april/articleshow/75740367.cms">Job seekers under MGNREGA has jumped 50% as migrant workers forced to return home are desperate for livelihood</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/from-minimum-wages-for-all-to-social-security-for-gig-workers-these-are-the-broad-outlines-of-upcoming-labour-reforms-in-india/articleshow/75733790.cms">From minimum wages for all to social security for gig workers ⁠— these are the broad outlines of upcoming ‘labour reforms’ in India</a>

India's Food Minister says there is enough grain stock to feed migrants for free for 2 months

New Delhi, Mar 28 () Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Saturday said farming operations and related activities have been exempted from the lockdown rules for smooth harvesting of rabi crops and to ensure food security in the country."At this critical time, the exemptions have been given for agriculture related activities to ensure enough food supply to the people after the lockdown. It is also done to ensure ordinary citizens and farmers do not face problems," Tomar said in a statement.To ensure that farmers do not face problems in harvesting, the Centre has directed concerned ministries and state governments to follow the exemptions strictly, he added.Tomar said exemptions for farm activities were given after he raised the concerns of farmers and farm organisation with the Home Ministry.On March 27, the government exempted farming operations, farm workers, custom hiring centres of farm harvesters and implements as well as mandis and procurement agencies from the lockdown rules.The government has allowed fertiliser shops to function, and even manufacturing and packaging of fertilisers, pesticides and seeds have been permitted during the lockdown period.Inter and intra movement of farm machinery related to sowing and harvesting is also exempted from the lockdown rules. LUX ANUANU

Farm activities exempted from lockdown rules to ensure food security: Tomar

The number of undernourished people in <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> has declined in the last 15 years to 224.3 million in 2019-2021, according to a UN report, which also said that there are more obese adults and anaemic women in the <keyword id="6354507" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="world" source="Orion">world</keyword>'s second most populous country. The <keyword id="5004571" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="state-of-food-security-and-nutrition" source="Orion">State of Food Security and Nutrition</keyword> in the World 2022 report, issued on Wednesday by UN agencies <keyword id="397960" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="food-and-agriculture-organisation" source="Orion">Food and Agriculture Organisation</keyword> (FAO), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), UNICEF, <keyword id="49053" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-food-programme" source="Orion">World Food Programme</keyword> (WFP) and the <keyword id="6356311" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organisation" source="Orion">World Health Organisation</keyword> (WHO), said that the number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report said that in India, the number of undernourished people declined to 224.3 million in 2019 21 from 247.8 million in 2004-06. It said that the number of children under 5 years of age who are stunted declined to 36.1 million in 2020 from 52.3 million in 2012, the number of children under five years of age who are overweight declined to 2.2 million in 2020 from three million in 2012. However, the number of obese adults in India, which has a population of over 1.38 billion, grew to 34.3 million in 2016 from 25.2 million in 2012 and the number of women aged 15 to 49 years affected by anaemia also grew to 187.3 million in 2019 from 171.5 million in 2012. The report added that the number of children up to 5 months of age exclusively breastfed touched 14 million in 2020 from 11.2 million in 2012. In percentage terms, the prevalence of undernourishment in the total population in India stood at 21.6 per cent in 2004-06 and declined to 16.3 per cent in 2019-21, the prevalence of stunting in children under 5 years of age declined to 30.9 per cent in 2020 from 41.7 per cent in 2012 and the prevalence of overweight children under five years of age was 1.9 per cent in 2020 from 2.4 per cent in 2012. The prevalence of obesity in India's adult population increased to 3.9 per cent in 2016 from 3.1 per cent in 2012 and anaemic women aged 15 to 49 years declined marginally from 53.2 per cent in 2012 to 53 per cent in 2019. The report also noted that in India, people who were unable to afford a healthy diet touched 973.3 million in 2020 or nearly 70.5 per cent, up from 948.6 million in 2019 (69.4 per cent). In 2017, about a billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in India and this number has declined to 966.6 million in 2018. The report noted that subsidies to consumers provided in Lower- Income Countries and Middle-Income Countries most often take the form of in-kind or cash transfers under the social protection programmes. India and Indonesia, for example, provide substantial subsidies to final consumers under the Targeted Public Distribution System for grains in India, and the food assistance programme (BPNT) based on electronic vouchers for rice, in Indonesia, it said. The most prominent example of a (Lower-middle-income countries) LMIC is India, where the food and agricultural policy has historically focused on protecting consumers by ensuring affordable food prices, through export restrictions (on wheat, non-basmati rice, and milk, among others) and through marketing regulations around pricing and public procurement, public food stockholding and distribution of a vast range of agricultural commodities, it said. As such, farmers have constantly faced price disincentives in aggregate terms (negative NRPs). Input subsidies and expenditure on general services such as in R&amp;D and infrastructure have been widely used as a means of compensating them for the price disincentives generated by trade and market measures, and for boosting production and self-sufficiency in the country, it added. The report noted that after remaining relatively unchanged since 2015, the proportion of people affected by hunger jumped in 2020 and continued to rise in 2021, to 9.8 per cent of the world population. This compares with 8 per cent in 2019 and 9.3 per cent in 2020. World hunger rose in 2021, with around 2.3 billion people facing moderate or severe difficulty obtaining enough to eat -- and that was before the Ukraine war, which has sparked increases in the cost of grain, fertiliser and energy, according to the report. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World paints a grim picture, based on 2021 data, saying the statistics should dispel any lingering doubts that the world is moving backwards in its efforts to end hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms , it explained. It warned that the ongoing war in Ukraine, is disrupting supply chains and further affecting prices of grain, fertiliser and energy resulting in more price increases in the first half of 2022. At the same time, they said, more frequent and extreme climate events are also disrupting supply chains, especially in low-income countries. Ukraine and Russia together produced almost a third of the world's wheat and barley and half of its sunflower oil, while Russia and its ally Belarus are the world's No. 2 and 3 producers of potash, a key ingredient of fertiliser. Nearly 924 million people (11.7 per cent of the global population) faced food insecurity at severe levels, an increase of 207 million in two years. The gender gap in food insecurity continued to rise in 2021 --- 31.9 per cent of women in the world were moderately or severely food insecure, compared to 27.6 per cent of men --- a gap of more than 4 percentage points, compared with 3 percentage points in 2020. Almost 3.1 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2020, up 112 million from 2019, reflecting the effects of inflation in consumer food prices stemming from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures put in place to contain it. An estimated 45 million children under the age of five were suffering from wasting, the deadliest form of malnutrition, which increases children's risk of death by up to 12 times. Furthermore, 149 million children under the age of five had stunted growth and development due to a chronic lack of essential nutrients in their diets, while 39 million were overweight. This report repeatedly highlights the intensification of these major drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition: conflict, climate extremes and economic shocks, combined with growing inequalities, the heads of the five UN agencies wrote in this year's Foreword. The issue at stake is not whether adversities will continue to occur or not, but how we must take bolder action to build resilience against future shocks, it added. (By Yoshita Singh <keyword id="6355833" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="united-nations" source="Orion">United Nations</keyword>) SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/golden-girl-p-t-usha-becomes-the-eighth-keralite-to-be-honoured-with-a-rajya-sabha-nomination/articleshow/92716060.cms">Golden girl P.T. Usha becomes the eighth Keralite to be honoured with a Rajya Sabha nomination</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/finance/news/rbis-moves-to-boost-forex-inflows-could-have-an-impact-on-domestic-borrowing-rates/articleshow/92715761.cms">RBI's moves to boost forex inflows could have an impact on domestic borrowing rates</a>

India has fewer undernourished people now but obesity and anaemia are on the rise

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="11892747" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> is immediately curbing wheat <keyword id="12534666" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="exports" source="Orion">exports</keyword> to protect its <keyword id="11894142" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="food" source="Orion">food</keyword> security.</li><li>The country will still export to countries in need at their request, officials said on Friday.</li></ul>India is the latest country to implement <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-protectionism-countries-restrict-exports-security-inflation-wheat-palm-beef-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">export bans on certain foods</a> as a result of the war in <keyword id="11985141" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="ukraine" source="Orion">Ukraine</keyword> and high inflation. <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-14/india-says-wheat-exports-prohibited-with-immediate-effect?srnd=premium-europe">Bloomberg first reported the news</a>. India's Directorate General of Foreign Trade said <a href="https://content.dgft.gov.in/Website/dgftprod/9032ac12-29a8-4a67-8e3b-bd0dc07c39a5/Noti%2006%20Eng.pdf">in a notice</a> on Friday that it would stop new shipments of wheat immediately but still allow exports to countries in need to help maintain their food security. India's move to stop its wheat exports comes after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-protectionism-countries-restrict-exports-security-inflation-wheat-palm-beef-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T#governments-around-the-world-are-taking-steps-to-safeguard-food-supplies-as-inflation-soars-due-to-supply-chain-disruptions-caused-by-the-covid-19-pandemic-and-the-war-in-ukraine-1">several countries</a> limited or banned the export of food staples in the last year. Rising costs of products like fuel have had a knock-on effect on fertilizer, as well as agriculture production, leading to higher food prices. Russia <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-protectionism-countries-restrict-exports-security-inflation-wheat-palm-beef-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T#1-russia-has-restricted-wheat-and-sunflower-oil-shipments-2">imposed </a>export caps and fresh taxes on wheat in 2021 to help tackle its domestic food inflation. Following its invasion of Ukraine, it brought in a temporary ban on exporting wheat to former Soviet countries. Kazakhstan also capped its wheat and wheat flour exports after prices rose by more than 30% since the beginning of the Ukraine war. Ukraine, which <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-russias-invasion-ukraine-means-global-food-supplies-2022-3?r=US&amp;IR=T">accounts</a> for between 12% and 17% of the world's supply of wheat and corn, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/food-protectionism-countries-restrict-exports-security-inflation-wheat-palm-beef-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T#1-russia-has-restricted-wheat-and-sunflower-oil-shipments-2">stopped</a> exporting key food items, including wheat and oats, to protect its food security during the war. Argentina, meanwhile, brought in restrictions on beef. Other countries with export bans in place include Indonesia, the world's largest palm-oil exporter, which banned the shipping of palm oil products to other countries. This led supermarkets across the world to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/supermarkets-retailers-limit-cooking-oil-purchases-ukraine-war-sparks-shortage-2022-5?r=US&amp;IR=T">restrict</a> the amount of cooking oil shoppers can buy. The cost of food commodities has risen the most since 2008, the World Bank <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ukraine-war-has-led-to-the-biggest-commodity-price-shock-in-50-years-2022-4?r=US&amp;IR=T">said</a>, as the Ukraine war led commodity prices to soar and the World Bank expects the impact on food prices to last until 2024. This has meant <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/foods-getting-more-expensive-this-year-inflation-supply-fertilizer-war-2022-4?r=US&amp;IR=T#sugar-and-sweets-3-4-more-expensive-5">higher prices</a> of food products at grocery stores on items like cooking oils, fresh, and processed fruit and vegetables, as well as cereals and bakery products.

India says it will ban wheat exports because the Ukraine war is threatening its food security

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/wholefoods/photos/a.492197346487.299033.24922591487/10154067989531488/?type=3&amp;theater">Whole Foods/Facebook</a></div></div></div>Whole Foods is facing a credit card security breach. The grocery chain, which <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-changes-whole-foods-2017-9">was acquired</a> by <a href="http://markets.businessinsider.com/stock/AMZN-Quote">Amazon</a> for $13.7 billion in late August, announced Thursday it "recently received information regarding unauthorized access of payment card information."People who only shopped for groceries at Whole Foods should not be impacted, according to the company. Instead, only venues such as taprooms and table-service restaurants located within stores - which use a different point of sales system - were impacted. "When Whole Foods Market learned of this, the company launched an investigation, obtained the help of a leading cyber security forensics firm, contacted law enforcement, and is taking appropriate measures to address the issue," Whole Foods <a href="http://media.wholefoodsmarket.com/news/whole-foods-market-payment-card-investigation-notification">said in a statement</a> on Thursday."The company's investigation is ongoing and it will provide additional updates as it learns more," the statement continued. "While most Whole Foods Market stores do not have these taprooms and restaurants, Whole Foods Market encourages its customers to closely monitor their payment card statements and report any unauthorized charges to the issuing bank."Whole Foods added that no Amazon.com purchases would be impacted in the security breach. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/tom-colicchio-reveals-okay-complain-restaurants-crafted-hospitality-food-meal-top-chef-2017-9">Why you shouldn't be afraid to complain about a bad meal in a restaurant, according to Top Chef judge Tom Colicchio</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Whole Foods is investigating a credit card security breach

<ul class="summary-list"><li>A chain <keyword id="6371025" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="restaurant">restaurant</keyword> in <keyword id="1334" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="China">China</keyword> apologized for weighing customers for food recommendations, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-restaurant-weighing-customers-intl-hnk-scli/index.html">CNN reported</a>.</li><li>The popular Hunan chain Chuiyan Fried Beef asked customers to step on a scale to weigh themselves so that a guide could recommend dishes based on their weight. </li><li>In efforts to build <keyword id="118345" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Food-security">food security</keyword> and reduce food waste, Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized that fostering "a social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is applaudable," <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/11/c_139282457.htm">state-run media reported</a>.</li></ul>A restaurant chain in China publicly apologized for weighing customers to give them menu recommendations before entering the restaurant, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/china-restaurant-weighing-customers-intl-hnk-scli/index.html">CNN reported</a>.Chulyan Fried Beef, a popular chain based in Hunan, asked customers to step on scales so that they could weigh themselves before entering the restaurant. Based on their weight, the restaurant recommended a menu of different items.For instance, women weighing around 88 pounds were recommended a signature beef dish and a fish head, while men weighing above 175 pounds were suggested pork belly, according to CNN.The restaurant's practices ignited a swift <keyword id="668894" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="backlash">backlash</keyword> from customers for fat-shaming, CNN reported. The restaurant chain apologized in a statement Saturday and said its campaign was designed to "help curb food wastage," and that it would nonetheless continue to let customers weigh themselves, according to CNN.China has made food security a national priority, setting agricultural development goals that strengthen its food production ability, according to the <a href="https://www.csis.org/analysis/chinas-growing-power-food-secure-world">Center for Strategic and International Studies</a>. Chinese President Xi Jinping has strongly emphasized efforts to reduce food waste. He said he strived towards a "social environment where waste is shameful and thriftiness is applaudable," according to <a href="http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-08/11/c_139282457.htm">state-run media</a>. He emphasized that food waste is "shocking and distressing." <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-its-like-to-eat-at-a-restaurant-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic-2020-6">I ate a sit-down meal at a restaurant for the first time since the pandemic began, and my buttery mussels came with a side of doom and gloom</a><ul class="read-more-links"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/restaurant-dining-shaming-friends-directed-capitalism-economy-2020-8">Don't blame your friends for eating out during the pandemic, blame the miserable system that drove the restaurant reopenings</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chain-restaurants-permanently-closing-600-locations-due-to-pandemic-2020-5">Chain restaurants including Pizza Hut and Starbucks are permanently closing over 1800 total locations during the pandemic. Here's the full list of chains.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/experts-say-restaurant-need-to-do-7-things-to-boost-sales-2020-4">Industry experts say all restaurant owners should do these 7 things to stay afloat and boost sales during the coronavirus pandemic</a></li></ul></li></ul>

You Searched For "food security" and got 14 results

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India has fewer undernourished people now but obesity and anaemia are on the rise

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India says it will ban wheat exports because the Ukraine war is threatening its food security

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Whole Foods is investigating a credit card security breach

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Restaurant chain in China apologizes for suggesting menu items based on customer weight

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