Planning Board had projected the cereal requirements of the state for the year 2001 as
54.81 lakh tonnes. Even if the state succeeds to retain the current level of output, the expected deficit for the year would be 86 percent.
Even though, tapioca is often considered as an inferior
substitute for rice in Kerala, its popularity as a major food item has substantially lessened in recent years. Within a period of twenty years from 1980-81 to 1999-2000 annual production of tapioca in the state had declined from 40.61 lakh tonnes to 25.64 lakh tonnes and area under the crop decreased from 2.5 lakh hectares to 1.09 lakh hectares. At present a major portion of the product is sent to the neighbouring states for the production of starch used textile mills. Due to the topographic and climatic constraints, cultivation of other cereals like wheat or barley is not viable in this state. Again, in recent years the quantity of rice and wheat distributed through the so-called Public Distribution System (PDS) of the state had declined drastically. The off- take of rice and wheat distributed through the PDS in 2000 were 6.14 lakh tonnes and 0.62 lakh tonnes respectively while the corresponding amounts during the year 1998 were 16.39 lakh tonnes and 4.58 lakh tonnes. Allowing the widening gap between the domestic production and requirement of rice to be filled with growing imports from other states by private individuals or even through enhanced central allotments poses a severe threat to the food security of the state’s population.
Paddy crop not only provides food for the human population but is also a major source of fodder to the ever-growing bovine population in the state. Only a negligible portion of the total geographical area in Kerala is kept as permanent pastures. In the year 1998- 99 the extent of area kept as permanent pastures and grazing land in the state was merely 682 hectares which amounted to only 0.18 percent of its total geographical area. The per capita cereal intake in a country has a tendency to decline with an increase in per capita income as increase in their disposable income induces people to spend relatively more on non-cereal
food items like meat, milk and egg. However, this implies that while the demand for cereals as
5
GOK (1982):
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