Famines to ample stocks, India blunts drought effect

In 2009, when India had its worst drought in three decades in terms of rainfall, the country managed to produce a million more tonnes of foodgrains than it did in 2007, a normal year.

In 2009, when India had its worst drought in three decades in terms of rainfall, the country managed to produce a million more tonnes of foodgrains than it did in 2007, a normal year.

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Droughts, such as the one that has now settled in nearly half of the country, are no longer the disaster they used to be, thanks to one of the world's most efficient drought management systems.

Largely indigenous and meticulously planned, it hinges on providing timely inputs - such as seeds for alternative crops, power and better agricultural practices.

Agencies, such as the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation, have hailed India's ability to sustain its food mission even during the 2009 drought, saving millions from death.

The country's farm output has risen sharply - from about 50 million tonnes in 1950-51 to 257 million tonnes during 2011-12 - helping avoid a scary "Malthusian world" of food production not keeping pace with population. Yet, a drought still drives up food inflation, mainly due to shortfall in output of non-grain food commodities.

"In the British period, drought was a word for famines, which would kill hundreds of thousands," Planning Commission member Abhijit Sen said.

The Bengal famine of 1943, followed by a missed monsoon, is estimated to have killed up to four million people. The British tackled drought with the Famine Code.

"It was essentially related to public works to provide alternative income," Sen said.

Such famines prompted the British to set up the India Meteorological Office - now the country's national weather agency - in 1875. Though droughts are no longer synonymous with deaths, the closest India came to a famine after 1947 was in 1965-66 in Bihar due to a drought year.

"Since then droughts have become an issue of inflation, balance-of-payments crisis and energy shortfall, rather than shortage of foodgrains," he added.

Changing from the "Famine Code", India now handles drought through the agriculture ministry's Crisis Management Plan, a 33-page manual that focuses on "preventive measures in a time-bound manner".