India’s food story is often told in numbers – tonnes harvested, records broken, global rankings climbed. Yet beneath the statistics lies a quieter, more unsettling truth: abundance has not translated into
access. Despite being among the world’s largest producers of rice, wheat, and pulses, hunger remains a stubborn and visible reality. In the Global Hunger Index 2025, India ranks 102nd out of 123 countries.
This contradiction formed the core of The Paradox of Progress, a session held on Day One of the Jaipur Literature Festival 2026. The conversation brought together Priyambada Jayakumar, author of M.S. Swaminathan: The Man Who Fed India, and writer-journalist Manu Joseph, in conversation with Sanjoy K. Roy. Together, they unpacked the distance between hunger and abundance, intention and implementation, and the hidden human and ecological costs of progress.
Speaking to News18, Jayakumar addressed this paradox head-on, arguing that India’s crisis is less about growing food and more about getting it to people. “I don’t think it’s so much a production failure,” she said, pointing instead to weak distribution networks and inadequate storage systems. Despite India’s dominance in staples and horticulture, she noted, the country’s poor ranking on the global hunger index is “appalling,” revealing what she called a deeper failure of access rather than supply.
Distribution, Access, And The Role Of Jobs
Jayakumar emphasises that hunger is intrinsically linked to economics, not just agriculture. Without stable jobs, people lack access to food, regardless of national production levels. “Food today is directly linked to access to jobs. If you don’t have money, you can’t buy. Job creation is vital for hunger management,” she explains. This lens reframes the hunger debate, highlighting structural inequities that persist even in a country capable of feeding itself.
Living In Climate Instability
The conversation also delves into climate change, which complicates food security further. Erratic weather, unpredictable rains, and crop-damaging events like hailstorms make agriculture increasingly precarious. Jayakumar notes, “With climate change, we are living on borrowed time. Farmers are climatologists – they sense the land. But when patterns become erratic, their predictions, and livelihoods, are at risk.”
Agriculture Beyond Doom And Gloom
Jayakumar also critiques societal perceptions of farming. Despite half of India’s population being engaged in agriculture, the sector is often framed as dreary and pitiable. “We have not given farmers or agriculture their due recognition,” she says. She draws parallels with China, where agricultural reform preceded industrial success, arguing that elevating farmers’ status and remunerative support is key to national progress.
Swaminathan’s Legacy And Contemporary Relevance
Finally, Jayakumar reflects on Swaminathan’s enduring concerns. The National Commission of Farmers’ report, which he chaired, proposing fair remuneration and climate-conscious practices, was never fully implemented. “His greatest worry would be the current climate crisis and the absence of village-level solutions,” she notes. Without addressing rural livelihoods, urban pressures, food distribution, and sustainability remain fragile, threatening both nourishment and national stability.
Jayakumar’s insights remind us that India’s food story is complex: a narrative of progress shadowed by inequity, climate vulnerability, and systemic inertia.
