Abstract

The Madras State has always been deficit in food production.. In prewar years this deficit amounted to 5 lakhs of tons. It was made good by imports from other countries, particularly from Burma. The war and its aftermath created conditions making it difficult for the usual imports to flow into the country. Further, the population has been growing all these years at a rapid rate and Nature too has been very unkind during the past five years in succession. All these factors have accentuated the very difficult food position in this State. Thus controls in regard to food, viz., procurement and rationing which were originally adopted as war time measures have unfortunately come to stay with us for a longer period than was originally expected. We began these controls in a few districts in 1942-43 and later on extended them, as our situation grew worse, with the result that by 1946-47, the entire State was completely under control in the matter of procurement and rationing.

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