India has achieved self-reliance in food; now it's time for value addition: Chirag Paswan

India's journey from a food-deficit nation in the 1960s to a self-reliant agricultural powerhouse represents one of the most remarkable transformations in post-independence economic history. The Green Revolution of the 1960s, spearheaded by scientists like M.S. Swaminathan with political backing from Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri and later Indira Gandhi, introduced high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice, transforming Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh into India's breadbasket. This achievement was enshrined in policy through the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA), which legally entitled 67% of the population to subsidized foodgrains under Article 21's right to life interpretation by the Supreme Court. Today, India stands as the world's largest producer of milk, pulses, and spices, and the second-largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits, and vegetables. However, as Union Minister Chirag Paswan rightly highlights, production self-sufficiency is only the first milestone. The next frontier — value addition — addresses critical structural gaps: post-harvest losses estimated at ₹92,651 crore annually (NABCONS 2022), a food processing level of merely 10% compared to 70-80% in developed nations, and farmer income stagnation despite record production. The PM Kisan Sampada Yojana (launched 2017, renamed 2021) with an outlay of ₹6,000 crore, and the Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF) of ₹1 lakh crore (2020), target cold chains, primary processing centers, and logistics to bridge farm-to-fork gaps. Constitutionally, agriculture falls under State List (Entry 14), but food processing industries are in the Union List (Entry 52), enabling central schemes like PM Formalisation of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) under Atmanirbhar Bharat. The 2020 Farm Acts (later repealed) attempted market liberalization; current policy focuses on infrastructure and cooperative models like FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations) under the 10,000 FPOs scheme. Globally, India's agricultural exports crossed $50 billion in FY23, but value-added products remain a small share. Shifting to processing — millets, horticulture, marine products — can capture higher value chains, create rural non-farm employment (critical for absorbing surplus labor), and reduce import dependence on edible oils (₹1.57 lakh crore in FY23). The National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm (NMEO-OP, 2021) and Millet Mission (2023 International Year of Millets) exemplify this diversification. Future implications include potential WTO disputes on subsidies, climate-resilient agriculture needs under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), and leveraging digital agriculture (e-NAM, AgriStack) for market access. For aspirants, this transition encapsulates the evolution from 'ship-to-mouth' dependency to 'farm-to-fork' value capture — a defining narrative of India's economic sovereignty.