The quality of food tells the story.

We already know that the richest 1% of Indians hold 58.4% of the total wealth of the nation and the top 57 billionaires have as much wealth as the bottom 70% of the entire population. But, how does it translate to the intake of food, the most basic of human requirement? A survey was conducted comparing the eating habits of different sectors of our society by dividing the population into fractiles and into rural and urban. It showed that the top urban 5% spent Rs 2,859 per month on food, which is 9 times the bottom rural 5% who spent a meager Rs 315.84 per month on food. The top 5% spend only twice as much as the bottom 5% on cereals but the difference jumps when more nutritious items are taken into account. It is not that the rich are eating large amounts, it is just that the poor are eating too little. The lowest 5% spend just Rs 4 on fresh fruits per month, Rs 52 on vegetables, Rs 18 on milk products, Rs 22 on pulses and Rs 14 on meat, fish and eggs. Indeed, they spend Rs 24 on spices per month, possibly to add taste to their low quality food. Rural poverty in India is dire. Over 12,000 farmers committed suicide every year since 2013, leaving their families destitute and helpless. Farmers suffer if crops are destroyed due to poor monsoon or floods, but may be left bankrupt if prices crash due to a bumper harvest, as has happened recently. This is because they increase area under cultivation if prices rise one year, resulting in an excess of the produce the next year, leading to a crash in prices. This is apparently known as the 'cobweb phenomenon'. Farmers in Maharashtra produced 1.171 million tonnes of tur dal, a kind of pulse known as 'pigeon pea' in English, this year, compared to 440,000 tonnes last year. Prices have dropped below what they spent on seeds. Two studies in the US found that the brains of poor children are 6% smaller than their wealthier counterparts, affecting mainly the cortical areas. They naturally do worse in educational achievements and earn much less, which means that poor nutrition in childhood affects a person throughout life. Not much point in legislating Right to Education if their brains cannot cope. Why are farmers allowed to overproduce? Our agricultural scientists should advise farmers how many acres to plant, how to rotate crops and provide them with seeds. Trouble is that farming is dependent on the kindness of the monsoon. About Rs 700 billion was siphoned off from the irrigation budget in Maharashtra. 28% of the cost of building a dam is paid as bribes, said a contractor. It could be done but will take time. Trouble is there are elections to win.