Role of Public Procurement in Improving the Consumption of Millets

The objective of India's food policy ensures that agriculture is remunerative, and farm prices are stable through assured minimum support prices (MSP) to farmers while at the same time ensuring subsidized food access for poor consumers through the Public Distribution System (PDS). One of India's major food-based schemes is Public Distribution System costing between 14- 20 billion USD. It is also one of the largest social security programs in the world, that procures and distributes food-related commodities to close to 800 million people. During the Green Revolution, an increased policy focus on staple grains, particularly rice, and wheat, resulted in the crowding out of traditional micronutrient-rich food crops. This study attempts to estimate the consumption-related impacts of extending public procurement to millets. In doing so, the broader objective is to support healthy diet diversification among the poor. As an empirical strategy, it uses the Difference-in-Difference method using data from India’s NSSO Consumer Expenditure Survey, and official data from the Department of Food & Public Distribution, Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare over the years 1994, 1998, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Introducing millets via public procurement is associated with a small increase in average monthly millet consumption. Individual results vary by state and millet type.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S., Applied Economics and Management

Level thesis:degree_level

Master of Science

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Applied Economics and Management

Grantor

Cornell University

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Yadav, Shweta

Committee member dc:contributor.committeemember

• Turvey, Calum

• Consumption
• Diversification
• Micro nutrients
• Millets
• Public Distribution System
• Public Procurement

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7298/9c3x-c650

Dc Identifier Other

ProQuest Submission ID: 11948
ProQuest Publication ID: 30631492

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ecommons.cornell.edu:1813/114501