Food Reserves for Nutrition Enrichment in BRICS

CLIMATIC vulnerability and supply chain disruptions pose significant challenges to the global food economy, particularly for the BRICS bloc. Traditional food reserves, typically viewed as emergency stockpiles, now require re-evaluation to ensure nutritional resilience, stability and adaptability to rapidly shifting market and social conditions. While maintaining strategic reserves is vital for global food security, the pressing question remains about the types of reserves necessary in light of climate uncertainties and ongoing issues of hunger and malnutrition. 

The World Bank, FAO, and WFP's report projected that in 2024, 343 million individuals across 74 countries would face acute food insecurity, nearly double the pre-Covid-19 figures.

The complexity of the situation intensified by 2026, exacerbated by the conflict in West Asia, which disrupted the transportation of oil and fertilizers through the crucial Strait of Hormuz. The consequent sharp increase in fertilizer costs, particularly a 46% rise in urea from February to March 2026, threatens to push an additional 45 million individuals toward famine, marking a severe concern for BRICS nations, who are major producers and consumers of fertilizers.

The classic rationale for food reserves—stabilising prices against temporary shortages—has become outdated. The current challenges demand not just calorie sufficiency but also nutritional balance, affordability, and continuous availability during disruptions. The European Commission's synthesis report emphasized that food and nutrition security encompasses more than simply having enough grain on hand.

In BRICS countries, notably India, food shortages persist despite abundant resources. For instance, during 2024-2025, India set a record by producing 353.96 million tonnes of food grains while supporting one of the largest food networks globally, as noted in a 2025 Indian government report. India's evolving storage systems exemplify how reserves can transition from passive stockpiles toward proactive nutrition governance. 

Advances in scientific storage and digitalization, coupled with linking to the Public Distribution System, present opportunities for diversifying reserves through biofortified crops and diversified food staples.

Concurrently, China is restructuring its reserve strategy with a resilience-based approach, emphasising intelligent storage, AI-enabled monitoring, cold chain logistics, and native seeds, in addition to its substantial stockpiling of rice, wheat and maize. This shift underscores a broader trend toward enhancing food security and nutrition within emerging economies like those in the BRICS coalition.

(The Author is South Asia Lead, Seed Systems and Product Management & India Country Manager (Interim), Norman Borlaug Field Award Recipient (World Food Prize) 2023, International Rice Research Institute.)

July 19, 2026