1. India’s Food and Water Security: 2023–2025

​

Between 2023 and 2025, food and water security remained strategic national priorities for India. Despite robust agricultural output, the country faced increasing challenges from climate variability, groundwater depletion, supply chain disruptions, and fluctuating food prices.

Key developments during this period included:

• Steady grain and horticultural production, though regional imbalances and extreme weather events affected consistency.

• Persistent stress on water resources, especially in northern and central states due to unsustainable irrigation practices and declining groundwater levels.

• Food inflation pressures requiring dynamic policy responses such as export restrictions, buffer stock adjustments, and support to farmers.

• National programs scaling up digital agriculture platforms, precision irrigation, and public-private collaboration in food logistics and warehousing.

India’s dual objective was to maintain national food self-sufficiency while modernizing agri-water systems for long-term sustainability.

 

2. Key Challenges and Structural Issues

​

• Water stress remained severe in several regions due to over-extraction, inefficient irrigation, and uneven rainfall distribution.

• Agricultural productivity is still constrained by land fragmentation, limited mechanization, and input inefficiencies.

• Post-harvest losses, estimated at over 15% in perishables, continue to weaken food system resilience.

• Groundwater levels have dropped critically in several food-surplus states, threatening long-term agricultural stability.

• Climate change is amplifying crop yield variability, pest outbreaks, and water stress across regions.

India’s food and water systems are under growing pressure to adapt through integrated resource management, infrastructure investment, and climate-resilient practices.

 

3. France – India Collaboration in Food and Water Security

​

France and India have strong complementarities in agricultural innovation, water management, and sustainable development:

• French firms and institutions contribute to smart irrigation, agri-sensors, soil mapping, cold chain logistics, and farm-to-market traceability in India.

• Joint initiatives are underway in wastewater treatment, groundwater recharge, and urban-rural water recycling systems.

• The two countries collaborate in sustainable agriculture, including organic farming, agroecology, and agri-food entrepreneurship.

• Capacity-building programs connect French agricultural universities, Indian research institutions, and farmer cooperatives.

This cooperation supports India’s goals of improving resource efficiency, promoting climate-smart agriculture, and securing water availability for rural and urban use.

​

4. Outlook Beyond 2025

​

Looking forward, India is expected to scale up reforms and investments in food and water systems, focusing on:

• Large-scale adoption of micro-irrigation, water budgeting, and precision agriculture.

• Expansion of food storage and processing infrastructure to reduce losses and boost exports.

• Digitization of land, water, and crop data to enable smarter resource allocation and early warning systems.

• Wider deployment of treated wastewater reuse in agriculture and industry.

• Enhanced public-private partnerships to modernize food supply chains, especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities.

India aims to transition toward a resilient, inclusive, and climate-adaptive food and water system by 2030, with foreign partners playing a key role.

​

Strategic Relevance for FIBC

​

• Showcases France’s capabilities in irrigation, water recycling, sustainable farming, and logistics innovation.

• Positions French companies and institutions as partners in India’s agri-food transition and rural transformation.

• Supports bilateral engagement in R&D, entrepreneurship, training, and infrastructure in food and water sectors.

• Helps FIBC members explore investment, co-development, and policy dialogue opportunities with Indian public and private stakeholders.