New Delhi: NITI Aayog member Ramesh Chand on Thursday (October 26) voiced concerns about potentially missing the zero-hunger target by 2030, despite a significant growth in per capita food production.He made these comments at an event while advocating for boosting agricultural productivity growth beyond 2% annually, so that we don’t have any issue meeting our domestic food demand as the population continues to rise, Mint reported.He noted that over the past two decades, agricultural prices have risen by 26% more than other goods. This, combined with rising food prices and environmental concerns, places India’s agricultural productivity under scrutiny.Despite rising per capita food production, malnutrition has risen, especially in the last eight years, according to Ramesh Chand, who attributed this phenomenon to the rising food prices.He further voiced concerns about India potentially missing the zero-hunger target by 2030.Notably, malnutrition in India is two to seven times higher than other BRICS member countries, according to a 2015 World Bank report. The same result was indicated in the 2021 report of Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.Rising food prices have been cited as a significant factor behind increasing global hunger rates since 2015, especially in regions like Africa, Latin America, and South Asia, including India.India has been ranked 111 out of a total of 125 countries in the 2023 Global Hunger Index. The Union government has contested the World Bank report – for a third time in a row – citing flawed methodology.According to Mint, there has been a roughly 1% growth in yearly population in recent decades, however, food production in India surged to 1.8 kilogram per person daily, up from 1.2 kg in 1970.“In the coming two and half decades, India’s population growth is estimated at 0.8% and the required rate to meet the domestic food demand in the future will be two-thirds of the past rate. In view of our land productivity, having grown at 2.75% in the past few decades, in future if productivity grows at 2% annually, we will have no issue achieving our domestic demand. However, there are concerns over agricultural productivity due to the changing environment and climate, over-exploitation of natural resources, and most importantly, rising agricultural commodities prices causing malnutrition,” Chand said.Therefore, Chand advocated for boosting productivity growth beyond 2% annually, ensuring it’s cost-effective and sustainable.Chand emphasised the role the private sector can play in precision farming using cutting-edge technologies. He underscored the the value of public-private partnerships for sustainable agricultural growth, noting the private sector’s potential to offer advisory services and technological support, the report added.He also highlighted the prominence of small-scale farmers in India and challenges related to data privacy, market structures, and scalability in the agricultural sector.