Vice-President Hamid Ansari on Thursday said it is “anomalous” that over 250 million Indians were chronically undernourished although the nation has achieved self-sufficiency in foodgrain production.

“This is anomalous looking at record food grain production in recent years,” Ansari said quoting Food and Agriculture Organisation reports while delivering the convocation address at the Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneshwar.

Stating that the country has achieved self sufficiency in food grain by enhancing production from 50 million tonnes in 1950 to 230 million tonnes now, the Vice-President said, “Food security and self-sufficiency should be measured not just in terms of production but in terms of access to and actual consumption of food grains.”

Expressing concern over the situation, Ansari said that agriculture provides employment to around 52 percent of the workforce.

Around half of all those engaged in agriculture are illiterate and a minuscule 5 percent of them have completed higher secondary education.

“It thus has a disproportionately important role in achieving a higher and inclusive GDP growth, food security, employment expansion and poverty alleviation,” he said.

To counter the trend, the Vice-President said the 11th Five Year Plan had suggested measures for a “more efficient, sustainable and inclusive” growth in Indian Agriculture that addresses the “technology fatigue”, “sustainability question” and the “yield gap”, with a sharp focus on rain-fed areas and 85 per cent of farmers who are small and marginal farmers.

It also recommended increasing the systems support while rationalising subsidies, encouraging diversification while protecting against food security concerns and fostering a group approach to ensure that the poor are able to get an easy access to land, credits and skill, he said.

Orissa Governor M C Bhadare, who is also the chancellor of the OUAT, said that has been seen that farmers despite providing food security continue to live in poverty.

“The reason behind this is their illiteracy which deprived them of several benefits,” he added.