Why has Food Insecurity Occurred During the COVID-19, and is There a Way Out?

Abstract

This paper reviews the food security status during the COVID-19. Food insecurity occurred due to disruptions in food production, food supply chain, implementation of the National Food Security Act (NFSA), and employment and income. Lockdown and shutdown had adversely affected the sowing of crops and harvesting in India. Food processing and supply chain were affected during the pandemic; the distribution of free ration till November 2020, apart from entitlement under NFSA, did not solve the problem of food insecurity. Retrenchment of workers from firms, migration to their villages, and saturation of rural farm wages have decreased people’s income and changed their food security status. This article adds perspectives on challenges posed by food insecurity during the pandemic and provides policy recommendations to mitigate those.