Rotting grain

The article “The wheat mountains of the Punjab” (May 11), along with “Cartoonscape,” was timely as it presented the chaos in the so-called backbone sector of the country. There are so many issues — poor procurement, storage and distribution systems, new challenges posed by the migration of youth, a drop in the sex ratio in the wheat belt and the looming threat of land acquisition — as India moves ahead trying to fulfil the aspirations of its young generation. These problems will severely dent the lives of millions of farmers and, ultimately, the aim of the National Food Security Mission. We do face a very grave situation.

Parry G.N.,

Chennai

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It is strange why there is no consensus on conserving soil and water resources, maintaining the ecological balance and having a grid of top-class godowns and silos to store what our farmers produce with so much of labour. There is probably no other country where the post-harvest grain storage losses and spoilages are of the magnitude described. It is criminal that when there is plenty of grain available, millions go to bed hungry each night.

Ramadhar,

Patna

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It is a shame that a nation that aspires to send a man to the moon and presents the images taken by Resourcesat-2 to the Prime Minister cannot safely and scientifically store grains produced by its farmers. It is not as if India does not have land available for such a purpose. The interesting socio-economic insight into the dwindling sex ratio in Punjab and Haryana has thrown up a catch-22 situation. If the next generation abandons farming and migrates to cities, food production will decline, with serious implications for food security. It is doubtful whether the existing female population can take over farming. Since the government has only a limited role in changing entrenched patriarchal mores, community and religious leaders should step in and shoulder more responsibility in removing the bias against the girl child.

V.N. Mukundarajan,

Thiruvananthapuram