Food security in West Bengal in terms of adult consumption unit coefficient

The green revolution resulted in the attainment of self-sufficiency in food-grains at the national level is one of the India's major achievements in the post-independence period. Surplus stock of food grains and food grains export/import are two major indicators to claim attainment of self-sufficiency. As a result India was overcoming transitory food insecurity though chronic food insecurity at micro level exists in various parts of India despite mounting buffer stock. Existence of Chronic food insecurity is reflected in Global Hunger Index and National family and health survey 3. The present study revisit the thinking that our country was really overcoming transitory food insecurity. To do this the estimated requirement of food-grains is compared with the net domestic production in West Bengal, eastern states of India. Food grain requirement is estimated with the help of dietary recommendation of Balance diet of ICMR in post reform era. Consumption needs for the people distribution by age, sex, body weights, height, nature of work, state of health is captured by Adult Consumption Unit coefficient. The study shows that there was an excess requirement of food grains in West Bengal over the domestic production in the post liberalization period 1991, 2001, 2006 and 2011. Food gap in West Bengal as a percentage of total requirements of the respective year was 31.9%, 36.8%, 23.6%, 35.0% in the above period. Hence in the sense of balance diet west Bengal (highest rice producing state in India) did not achieve self-sufficiency in cereal production. Study projected that cereal requirement in west Bengal will be 13030.2, 13463.3, 13812.3 thousand tone in the years 2016, 2021, 2026 respectively.