The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition recently conducted a study, “Pandemic Prices: Covid-19 Price Shocks and their Implications for Nutrition Security in India” where they analyzed the price shifts of various food staples across 11 tier-1 and tier-2 cities in India. They employed data from the period of 1st March-31st May 2020 and contrasted it with the corresponding duration in 2019.
Imminent Changes in Food Prices After Lockdown
Post-lockdown, prices of all food groups surged, with non-cereals experiencing a more severe escalation than cereals. Once the lockdown was lifted, prices of cereals and non-cereals promptly stabilized while protein-laden pulses continued to remain expensive.
Individual Analysis of Food Item Prices
When it comes to Wheat and Rice, their retail prices remained relatively stable or even cheaper compared to the weeks preceding the lockdown and the previous year. In contrast, prices of Potatoes, Onions, and Tomatoes initially skyrocketed but later stabilized. Onion prices observed an exponential increase, going as high as 200-250%. The prices of Eggs, on the contrary, dropped initially, owing to the widespread fear of catching coronavirus through poultry, then increased by March-end, and finally stabilized two months later. For Pulses, a steady rise in prices during lockdown was observed which persistently stayed higher than the pre-Covid-19 levels.
Implications for Nutrition Security
The relative immobility in cereal prices coupled with escalated pulse prices could potentially distort expenditure and consumption decisions, favouring a staple-based, protein-deficient diet. This could pose a significant threat to the country’s food security. More nutritious foods are becoming increasingly expensive, making it difficult for economically disadvantaged populations to acquire these nutrient-dense foods. This leads to a decrease in the proportion of nutritious foods in diets and a shift towards less nutritious, calorie-dense foods, worsening nutritional status across the country – particularly among women, children, and impoverished regions.
Questioning Regulatory Amendments
The study criticizes the amendments made to the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, which deregulated cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions, and potatoes from its purview.
Suggested Interventions
To counter the rising prices, particularly of protein sources like pulses, the government can ensure timely interventions to stabilize the price increase. Policies that guard non-staple supply chains against price shocks and fluctuations are necessary. Furthermore, outdated restrictions should be abolished to deal with potential bottlenecks in the agricultural sector.
In Pursuit of Nutrition Security
Food and nutrition security is realized when all citizens have access to adequate, nutritious food and the capacity to purchase food of acceptable quality without any barriers. The right to nutritious food is firmly established in the principles of international human rights law, evolving to include an obligation for state parties to respect, protect and fulfill their citizens’ right to food and nutrition security.