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With research staff from more than 60 countries, and offices across the globe, IFPRI provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition in developing countries.

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researcher spotlight

Samuel Benin

Samuel Benin is the Acting Director for Africa in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. He conducts research on national strategies and public investment for accelerating food systems transformation in Africa and provides analytical support to the African Union’s CAADP Biennial Review.

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Development Strategies and Governance

Devesh Roy

Senior Research Fellow

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Bio

Devesh Roy, an Indian national, is a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit. His areas of expertise include international trade, environment, firm-farm linkages, and food safety. He has recently been involved in research related to the economics of animal disease outbreaks. He also conducts research on issues relating to food safety in developing countries, particularly from the demand side, and is involved in a project on varietal choice pertaining to different staples in India and two African countries (Rwanda and Nigeria).

Devesh joined IFPRI as a Post-Doctoral Fellow in 2004 before becoming a Research Fellow. He later worked as a Senior Research Fellow with the CGIAR Research Program on Agriculture for Nutrition and Health (A4NH) from 2017 through 2021. His previous work focused on food security in South Asian countries as well as contract farming in high-value agriculture in India. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland at College Park and a master’s degree from the Delhi School of Economics.

Languages Spoken: English, Hindi

Publications

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Publications

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Journal Article

Consumer food safety awareness and demand for fluid milk: A case study from India

2024Kumar, Anjani; Mishra, Ashok K.; Sonkar, Vinay K.; Roy, Devesh
Details

Consumer food safety awareness and demand for fluid milk: A case study from India

ABSTRACT: Despite significant improvements in consumers’ food safety awareness, the literature provides little or no evidence of the impact of food safety awareness on the quantity of fluid milk consumers purchased. This is especially true for India’s consumers, where the economy is changing rapidly regarding food marketing, incomes, urbanization, and increased demand for food safety.The study is based on primary data from a survey of consumers from urban and peri-urban districts in India. The survey collected information on socioeconomic characteristics, dairy consumption, purchasing patterns, and food safety awareness. This study first creates a food safety awareness (FSA) index to measure consumers’ awareness of food safety attitudes and perceptions. It investigates the factors affecting consumers’ food safety awareness and FSA’s impact on fluid milk demand. The study uses a newly developed impact evaluation method, continuous treatment matching estimation, and dose-response functions (DRFs) to assess the impact of FSA on consumers’ fluid milk purchases. Findings show that educational attainment, sources of information on food safety, age, and gender of the head of the household significantly influenced consumers’ food safety awareness. Further, the study finds that food safety awareness positively impacts the demand for fluid milk. After controlling for milk prices and family income, Indian consumers aware of and adopt seven or more food safety habits or practices are likely to demand more fluid milk. Results are robust to specifications, income levels, and the location of households. The link between food safety awareness and the quantity of milk purchased implies a latent consumer demand for food safety. Any consumer awareness programs and policies supporting milk and its products’ hygienic production will likely increase demand for milk and dairy products. At a policy level, credible systems can be put in place for food certification and labeling, which enhance the availability of safe and hygienic food.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kumar, Anjani; Mishra, Ashok K.; Sonkar, Vinay K.; Roy, Devesh

Citation

Kumar, Anjani; Mishra, Ashok K.; Sonkar, Vinay K.; and Roy, Devesh. 2024. Consumer food safety awareness and demand for fluid milk: A case study from India. Journal of Developing Areas 58(1): 237-267. https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2024.a924525

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Food Safety; Consumer Attitudes; Demand; Milk; Urban Population; Liquid Milk

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1353/jda.2024.a924525 Source record

Project

National Policies and Strategies

Record type

Journal Article

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Brief

Sri Lanka’s New Fertilizer Cash Grant (FCG) Scheme for paddy: What do participants and associates look and hope for?

2024Kopiyawattage, Kumudu; Weerahewa, Jeevika; Roy, Devesh
Details

Sri Lanka’s New Fertilizer Cash Grant (FCG) Scheme for paddy: What do participants and associates look and hope for?

Since independence, the Government of Sri Lanka has implemented various policies and initiatives to boost agricultural production. One of the enduring, costly, and politically sensitive measures aimed at promoting paddy farming has been the fertilizer subsidy program which was initiated in 1962 and continued for over six decades. Since then, the subsidy policy has undergone many changes, including the introduction of the Fertilizer Cash Grant (FCG) Program in 2016. The FCG program’s key objectives were to reduce the excessive use of synthetic fertilizers, promote the adoption of organic fertilizers, and empower farmers to make informed decisions regarding the use of fertilizers in appropriate quantities in their fields post soil testing. The FCG program commenced in 2016 but it lasted only for four seasons and price subsidy was reintroduced.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kopiyawattage, Kumudu; Weerahewa, Jeevika; Roy, Devesh

Citation

Kopiyawattage, Kumudu; Weerahewa, Jeevika; and Roy, Devesh. 2024. Sri Lanka’s New Fertilizer Cash Grant (FCG) Scheme for paddy: What do participants and associates look and hope for? Project Note February 2024. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://hdl.handle.net/10568/139383

Country/Region

Sri Lanka

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Agricultural Production; Fertilizers; Subsidies; Farmers; Cash Transfers; Rice

Language

English

Access/Licence

Open AccessCC-BY-4.0

Source

Source record

Record type

Brief

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Journal Article

Prospects of crop insurance for sustenance of farmers’ livelihood during GM cotton crop failure in Indian Punjab

2024Kaur, Sandeep; Singh, Harpreet; Roy, Devesh; Singh, Hardeep
Details

Prospects of crop insurance for sustenance of farmers’ livelihood during GM cotton crop failure in Indian Punjab

Despite the susceptibility of cotton crops to pest attacks in the Malwa Region of Indian Punjab, no crop insurance policy has been implemented there– not even the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which is a central scheme. Therefore, this paper attempts to gauge the likely impact of the PMFBY on Punjab cotton farmers and assess the changes needed for greater uptake and effectiveness of PMFBY.The authors have conducted a primary survey to conduct this study. Initially, the authors compared the costs of cotton production with the returns in two scenarios (with and without insurance). Additionally, the authors have applied a logistic regression framework to examine the determinants of the willingness of farmers to participate in the crop insurance market.The study finds that net returns of cotton crops are conventionally small and insufficient to cope with damages from crop failure. Yet, PMFBY will require some modifications in the premium rate and the level of indemnity for its greater uptake among Punjab cotton farmers. Additionally, using the logistic regression framework, the authors find that an increase in awareness about crop insurance and farmers’ perceptions about their crop failure in the near future reduces the willingness of the farmers to participate in the crop insurance markets.The present study looks for the viability of PMFBY in Indian Punjab for the cotton crop, which can also be extended to other crops.Punjab could also use crop insurance to encourage diversification in agriculture. There is a need for special packages for diversified crops under any crop insurance policy. Crops susceptible to volatility due to climate-related factors should be identified and provided with a special insurance package.There exist very scant studies that have discussed the viability of a central crop insurance scheme in the agricultural-rich state of India, i.e. Punjab. Moreover, they do not also focus on crop losses accruing due to pest and insect attacks.

Year published

2024

Authors

Kaur, Sandeep; Singh, Harpreet; Roy, Devesh; Singh, Hardeep

Citation

Kaur, Sandeep; Singh, Harpreet; Roy, Devesh; and Singh, Hardeep. Prospects of crop insurance for sustenance of farmers’ livelihood during GM cotton crop failure in Indian Punjab. Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies. Article in press. First published online February 1, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-06-2023-0142

Country/Region

India

Keywords

Asia; Southern Asia; Insurance; Cotton

Language

English

Access/Licence

Limited Access

Links

https://doi.org/10.1108/jadee-06-2023-0142 Source record

Record type

Journal Article

Blogs

Informal trade in agricultural commodities along the Nepal-India border
IFPRI Blog
 | 
November 02, 2023

Informal trade in agricultural commodities along the Nepal-India border

By Shalini Gupta and Devesh Roy

New customs duties reverberate in communities.

Informal trade: Insights from Phansidewa at the India-Bangladesh border
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 22, 2023

Informal trade: Insights from Phansidewa at the India-Bangladesh border

By Nisha Taneja, Sanjana Joshi, Sanya Dua, Abul Kamar, Sunil Saroj, Devesh Roy, and Mamata Pradhan

Documenting a shifting landscape of commerce.

India’s edible oil imports from Nepal: Policy implications of current tariffs and free trade agreements
IFPRI Blog
 | 
September 12, 2023

India’s edible oil imports from Nepal: Policy implications of current tariffs and free trade agreements

By Abul Kamar, Devesh Roy, and Shahidur Rashid

Explaining a case of tariff arbitrage.

Events

31st International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE)
IFPRI at External Event

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August 17 to 31, 2021

31st International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE)

Virtual Event: AUG 17, 2021 – 08:00 AM to AUG 31, 2021 08:00 PM EDT. IFPRI is participating in the 31st Conference of Agriculture Economists organized by the International Association of Agricultural Economists (IAAE). 

2019 RESAKSS-Asia Conference: Evolving Agrifood Systems in Asia
IFPRI Program/Country Event

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October 30 to 31, 2019

2019 RESAKSS-Asia Conference: Evolving Agrifood Systems in Asia

The Regional Strategic Analysis and Knowledge Support System for Asia (ReSAKSS-Asia) facilitated by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), and the Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID), are organizing an international conference entitled, “Evolving Agrifood Systems in Asia: Achieving food and nutrition security by 2030,” with the financial support of USAID. The primary objective […]

Policy Forum on Social Transfers to Revitalize Rural India and Launch of IFPRI Global Food Policy Report 2019
Series/Special Event

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April 26, 2019, 9:30 – 5:00 pm

Policy Forum on Social Transfers to Revitalize Rural India and Launch of IFPRI Global Food Policy Report 2019

Inaugural Session Chairperson Welcome Release of Global Food Policy Report-2019 Keynote: Global Food Policy Report-2019 GFPR 2019: South Asia Rural Revitalization Panel Discussion on Global Food Policy Report-2019 Remarks by Chairperson Session 1: Employment and Livelihoods: Challenges and Opportunities for Rural Revitalization, Chaired by Dr. Ashok Gulati, Infosys Chair Professor for Agriculture, Indian Council for Research on International Economic […]

News

In the News

Recalibrate BIMSTEC (Hindu Business Line)

March 15, 2023

In an op-ed published by Hindu Business Line, IFPRI South Asia’s Devesh Roy, Shahidur Rashid, and Mamata Pradhan write, “Trade and investment are major instruments to attain food security across the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) member-states, particularly in a climate-affected, post-pandemic world. However, trade and market integration is an area where the […]

In the News

BIMSTEC at 25: Let Bangladesh lead the way for greater agri-food trade (The Daily Observer) 

March 06, 2023

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is the bridge between South and Southeast Asia and a unique regional cooperation initiative in the Bay of Bengal with contiguous nations, high economic growth, and a large market with access to Indian Ocean, write IFPRI’s Devesh Roy, Mamata Pradhan, and Shahidur Rashid in an […]

Press Release

IFPRI-BIMSTEC Secretariat formalize partnership to promote  sustainable and inclusive food systems transformation

March 05, 2023

Dhaka, Bangladesh: The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretariat signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today in Dhaka. IFPRI, with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and the BIMSTEC Secretariat, is conducting research and facilitating capacity sharing in […]