There was a time when India’s Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri popularised the slogan – “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.” It was a time when India was fighting on two fronts. Two decades had not passed since Independence when Pakistan declared war against India. At the same time, India was battling a severe food-grain crisis. People were struggling to get even two meals square a day. Wheat was being imported from the United States, and even that came with riders and conditions. Under such circumstances, Shastri ji came up with the slogan that emphasisd the importance of self-reliance when it came to production of food.
Circa, 2026. Today, our country not only feeds 1.4 billion people but also produces a surplus and exports food grains. However, a new crisis has emerged. Even for those of us whose stomachs are full, we are facing a lack of quality in our food. A report by India’s leading economic think tank Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has revealed some startling facts.
According to the report by ICRIER, soil quality in India is declining at an alarming rate. Essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc are rapidly depleting from the soil. As a result, the crops that being grown have lower nutritional quality, which is failing to meet the desired nutritional value.
India’s soil health is an alarming state
ICRIER research fellow Ritika Juneja said that the decline in soil quality in our country has reached an extremely alarming stage. The main reason behind this is the excessive and indiscriminate use of fertilisers by farmers. In other words, in a race to increase crop production, the overuse of fertilisers is steadily degrading soil quality across the country. If this crisis is to be addressed and overcome successfully, the government will have to formulate appropriate policies and farmers will need to be made aware—only then can soil health improve.
In fact, nutritional security is an issue that is often overlooked despite its importance. Plates may have dal, rice, and roti, but they lack real nutritional value, that directly impacts a person’s health. Worringly, micronutrients are continuously getting depleted from our soils, the report points out. This has not only reduced agricultural productivity but has also significantly lowered the nutritional quality of food grains.
Food security achieved, nutrition security remains distant dream
ICRIER professor Dr Ashok Gulati has pointed out that India has achieved a record food-grain production of 357.7 million tonnes (2024–25), ensuring food security for 1.4 billion people. However, the country is lagging behind in nutritional security. He said the problem is no longer a lack of food, but a lack of quality in food. We are filling our stomachs, but failing to nourish our bodies.
Indians’ staple food – wheat, rice, and pulses – lack nutrients
What is more worrying is that wheat, rice, and pulses – staple foods for most Indians, are also deficient in nutrients and organic matter (derived from plant and animal residues). This crisis now demands policy-level reforms. To understand the seriousness, consider this example: If soil quality is poor, crops will be deficient in zinc. When children consume such grains, it hampers their cognitive development. Their height may be affected, and their ability to think and understand may decline. Seen this way, it is a public health alarm.
Food for thought
India occupies only 2.4 percent of the world’s land but feeds about 17 percent of the global population. Food-grain production has increased from 82 million tonnes in 1960–61 to nearly 357 million tonnes in 2024–25. India is now the world’s largest exporter of rice. The country runs the world’s largest free food-grain scheme, providing 5 kg of free rice or wheat every month to 800 million people. Government warehouses are full of grain, and poverty has declined rapidly.
Despite all this, why does malnutrition persist, especially among children?
According to the National Family Health Survey (2019–21), 35 percent of children under five years of age are stunted, 32 per cent are underweight, and 19 per cent are severely wasted. This clearly shows that merely filling the stomach is not enough; food must also be nutritious.
What lead to soil degradation?
The think tank’s report states that excessive use of chemical fertilisers is the main reason for soil degradation. To improve nutrient content in crops, soil health must be restored, which requires rational use of fertilisers. Farmers need support to ensure fertiliser use is based on soil requirements.
Remeber, soil is not a machine!
Soil has been treated like a production machine. About 75 percent of soils now have organic carbon content below 0.5 percent, severely reducing their ability to absorb nutrients. Our constant push for higher production has exhausted the soil. As a result, nutrients like iron, nitrogen, and zinc have declined. Over the past 50 years, zinc and iron content in crops has fallen by up to 30 percent. Reduced iron in soil ultimately leads to anemia among women.
Think tank’s recommendations
As per the report, emphasis should be placed on a 3P approach focused on policy, product, and practice.
Fertiliser pricing should be structured so that it is available in the right quantity and at the right price. Government support should reach only those farmers who genuinely need it, enabling scientific research, soil testing, and crop-specific fertilizer use. When the biological, chemical, and physical health of soil improves, soil will become truly nourished. Only then can it produce grains that not only satisfy hunger but also keep people healthy.Healthy soil is, in fact, a crucial issue linked to public health and India’s long-term development.
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