Saarc Food Bank Fexp19november08

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