Accomplishing food security in the Saarc region 

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/accomplishing-food-security-in-the-saarc-region/387399/0

Accomplishing food security in the Saarc region

J George
Posted online: Nov 19, 2008 at 2315 hrs

As if the leadership had premonitions of the looming financial cataclysm, the

ministerial summit in Colombo in August this year did not require protracted
discussion and manoeuvrings to come out with a short, precise and clear statement
on food security for the region. The South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation (Saarc) vision of making ‘South Asia once again the granary of the
world’ is indeed laudable as the first firm step and must be energetically supported. It
is certainly in the greater interest of regional development and economic integration.

The Saarc secretariat as well as the inter-governmental expert group must seriously
heed the poignant and yet urgent plea by the leaders to operationlise Saarc food
bank. The 1987 plea fell through as the seven nations could not ensure to
collectively earmark at least 1,25,000 metric tonne of food grains (rice and wheat) as
the reserve for emergencies.

The concept of food security in Saarc is a natural corollary to the well recognised
Saarc Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs have been suitably adapted from the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to the region’s need. The concept owes its
origin to the declaration signed by Saarc foreign ministers in New Delhi in August
1983. The avowed objectives of Saarc charter (1985), including improving quality of
life, ensuring life of dignity and collective self reliance, amongst others, undoubtedly
is inspired by the concept of food security in a much broader sense.

Since the establishment of Saarc the concept of food security was restricted to
establishing the Saarc Food Security Reserve that came into force in 1988. After
nearly two decades during the twelfth summit in 2004 the concept was rightly
changed to regional food bank.

A Saarc Food Security Reserve Board (FSRB) has been considering different
mechanisms to make the idea workable in the region. A text of an agreement was
finalised in 2006 and endorsed at the 14th Summit in April 2007. Each member
nation was supposed to ratify this agreement by July 2007. The 2007 Saarc Food
Bank agreement has 16 articles and two integral schedules.

The Food Bank has agreed to maintain a reserve of 2.41 lakh metric tonne of rice
and wheat in any combination (Schedule I). The Afghanistan share is not included.
India with an earmarked reserve share of nearly two-thirds, is the major contributor.
There are provisions for maintaining a defined fair average quality (Schedule II) of
the food grains in godowns.
The confusion on the “who will bell the cat” has been clearly demarcated between
the food bank board (Article XI) for policy making as well as review and designated
nodal point(s) for transacting all business at the national level to operationlise the
food bank (Article X). In the present times with comfortable wheat buffer stock, we
can certainly show the way forward to Saarc members besides fulfilling the Indian
Prime Minister’s promises.

Considering the commercial import of the concept, three broad principles for
determination of prices have been elaborated in the 2007 agreement. These are that
quoted price shall be lower than prices generally charged or quoted for countries
beyond the region; representative of the domestic and international market price
aptly adjusted for seasonality and recent movements; and according national
treatment in calculating cost components. It is too early to put these principles to any
acid tests but the second principle does invite circumspection. A sure recipe for
failure will be the eventual outsourcing of the management tasks to a third party
under the dubious garb of efficiency and value for money. A resolute commitment to
welfare and delivering the services is the call Saarc Food Bank officials have to take.

The Saarc Food Bank Board must be constituted afresh with those willing to burn
midnight fuel to iron out starting problems. Though daunting, task is indeed
challenging for creative and innovative initiatives. The Indian experience of buffer
stock management since independence, fortunately, is available for study that will
bring out contours for viable and successful operating procedures.

At the same time the board will have to reckon or be prepared for cases where
withdrawals from the food bank are made without honouring the commitment
towards maintaining a reserve.

Therefore a strategic economic management of the production landscape in the

Saarc member states is of utmost significance.

The agrarian and food crisis in the region over a long period of time have made each
member country fellow travellers in the livelihood and food security pathways. The
SDGs provide an immediate starting point for reflection and developing an action
plan template. The Colombo statement on food security directs agriculture ministers
of Saarc member states to act immediately (November 2008 meeting for short to
medium term strategy) on production enhancement and nutrition security in South
Asia, home to 40% of the world’s poor.

—The writer was a member of the working group on agriculture set up by the Planning Commission for the 11th
Plan. He teaches strategic economic management initiatives