Can Food Security be Attained through International Trade of Food Grains

Abstract

The issue of food security is a major concern for most of the developing countries and so does it for India. India started giving importance to this issue from the early periods (from 1951 onwards) of Independence. This paper intends to assess the role of import of food grains as a major tool to achieve food security. The evidence from the earlier studies in favour of the argument is also taken in the paper. The paper arrives at findings such as trade liberalization of food grains can play a vital role in ensuring food availability – one of the components of food security. After the economic liberalization in 1990s, India has also opened up its markets for trading of food grains. It also suggests in its conclusive remarks that unrestricted international movement of food grains will lead to increase in the food availability and will also help to prevent rise in food prices. This will increase food security by increasing both the physical and economic access to food.