It just isn't the Good Earth anymore. Indian soils are under severe stress. And the compulsion to produce more foodgrain to meet the demands of ever increasing population and welfare obligations (such as those emanating from the new food law) from a shrinking area is set to put greater pressure on soil resource. Soil health degradation has emerged a serious threat to sustainable agriculture that aims to cater to present and future foodgrain needs. 

In the run-up to blueprinting the much vaunted food law, reviving soil health and fertility should therefore have been a key pre-condition for policy makers. As should have been exponentially boosting storage capacity and strengthening procurement infrastructure in the existing Public Distribution System (PDS). Having debilitated it systematically over the last several years, however, the government now appears to be planning to put the entire weight of grain delivery under the new food law on the very same PDS, a classic demonstration of putting the cart before an old, hobbling horse...............Click for more

Source Web Page: Economic Times

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