GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS AND SLAUGHTER HOUSES
 A). "Bushism:  Middle class Indians are responsible for the global food crisis!"
It is a provocative statement, but nevertheless provides a strong" driving-force' to the world community of scientists and economists to join hands to find and expose the real "culprits or causes for the food crisis to enable the humanity to devise proper strategies to prevent it. Shortage of food grains may occur due to following reasons :
1. Wastage of available food-grains before reaching consumption point,
2. Spreading of inefficient practices of food utilization,
3. Increase in per capita consumption of food grains,
4. Growth of production of food grains falling short of population growth.
All the above reasons can be easily analyzed with proper statistics. For example, heavy Government subsidies for Bio fuels in certain areas have motivated the farmers to substitute the foodgrain crops by bio-fuel crops. This has completely skewed the foodgrain production in the world. This data is also available. But the factors mentioned at point 1,3 & 4 are not so alarming as yet. However, the efficiency aspect of food conversion, as mentioned at point no, 2 above, has been neglected by the world community for unknown reasons. We will, as such, dwell at length on this point i.e. spreading of inefficient practices of food utilization.
B) FACTS :
1. The average consumption of food grains in India is about 178kg/year/person.
2. The average consumption/capita in America (USA) is more than 1100kg of foodgrains/year! 
it means one American consumes so much food grains as seven Indians do.
3. How can such a vast difference exist ? It warrants a detailed analysis of food habit and methodology of consumption.
a. A simple observation of an American family reveals that an average American doesnot eat more food than an average Indian does !
b.Food consumption by poorer Indians i.e Indians below poverty-line (BPL) is although less, but still for 90% of them, it amounts to about 120kg/year. For about a million underfed people, It is less than 100kg/year.The so called group of hungry people is very small now. 
c. For a healthy diet, it is estimated that 140kg of food grains per capita is sufficient, if they are balanced properly.
Then a big guestion arises, as to how we consume 180 kg only, when an American is able to gulp almost 1100 kg ?
The answer lies in the level of dependence of human population on secondary converted food for eating habits. Let us understand it in detail - i) A portion of human population depends on the direct consumption of foodgrains (cereal diet),
ii) A portion of human population depends on meat diet, which can be termed as secondary capital food. Here the animals are used for conversion of food grains into meat.
iii) Remaining part of population has mixed food habits i.e. partly on direct food grains and partly on indirect grain consumption i.e. on meat.
iv) There are food supplements, which can be termed as revenue food (equivalent to interest on FD) like milk etc. These recurring indirect foods are derived on regular basis for a longer period from the animals by feeding them with food grains. This is in contrast to the slaughtering of animals, which is equivalent to one time capital food. 
C) ANALYSIS :
i) One can estimate directly the food grains consumed / head/year for the first group of people.
ii) For the second group, one has to estimate the food grains fed to the animals for converting them into meat. Several studies had been made on it in America and UK in the past. These confidential reports are also available now. The data of these reports are available in various forms. For example -
a) On One Acre of land
If SOYABEAN is grown, it will yield 510 kg of useable protein or if RICE is grown, it will yield 430 kg, if CORN is grown, it will yield 450kg, if WHEAT is grown, it will yield 475kg of useable protein but, if any of these farm products is fed to animals (like steer), it will yield only 50kg of useable protein.
i) It means to produce 1 kg of useable protein via animals, it requires 10 times more land than getting it through vegetables / farm products 
ii) A piece of land which will produce one ton of meat, can produce 10-12 tons of nutritious food, fit for direct human consumption and that too at much cheaper rate.
Where does the myth stand in the light of above evidence that an American consumes foodgrains 8 times more than an Indian does ? It gets clarified below, specially in point D) Counter Proof !
The above facts clearly point out that of if Intermediary agency i.e. animals are used as a source of food; only 178 of primary food (farm products) is utilized and 718th portion goes waste! In other words, animals waste around 88% of vegetable protein of farm products.
Another American report from its Agricultural department highlights that a person requires 14 times more agricultural Land to produce animal feed for his meat requirment than the land required for a person eating direct foodgrains. 
It is not the most disturbing but clear conclusion that meat eating is directly responsible for world hunger ? Raising animals for food is the most inefficient method for obtaining the human food, Involving a colossal waste of the world's limited resources. This factual message must be propagated fast across the world to save the humanity from the food-crisis. But whether the vested interests would allow us to spread this alarming report is a big question! It is to be noted that America is the most ferocious meat eating nation.
b) Other Facts:
1. A similar report by the 'President's Science Advisory Committee, Vol. II May 1967 titled as The World food problem," highlights a fact that cattle must be fed 10kg of vegetable protein (farm grain etc), in order to produce 1 kg of animal protein!
2. This data is overwhelming and indisputable. The only problem is that most of the information has been gathering dust on the shelf. It is not distributed widely The mass awakening is lacking. No worthwhile effort could be made because the PROFITS of Meat producers, medical establishments and chemical industries will plummet, if people adopt humane, sustainable, plant based DIET.
3. In another report, it is highlighted that in U.S.A 78% of all grains, that are grown there , are fed to raise food animals. They are reared for slaughter houses & have an optimum life span of 14 month. Their conversion efficiency is also maximum during this period.
4. During this period, 14-15 kg of grains as feed stock will produce 1 kg of Beef and 8 kg of grains as feedstock will produce 1 kg of pork.
This is also corroborated by another report to the American President, stating that 10kg of useable vegetable protein is coverted into 1 kg of useable animal protein.
An average conversion ratio through animals may be taken as 12.
c) In India.
i) In 92-93, meat export amounted to Rs. 2565 crores. In 93-94 it rose to Rs. 3000 crores.
Such blind and rash actions have resulted in death and depletion of cattle population to alarming levels in India. For example, There were 450 cattle/1000 persons in india in 1951. It declined to 100 cattle / 1000 person in 2001. It may dwindle to 20 cattle / 1000persons in 2015, if nothing concreate is done to reverse this trend of opening of new slaughter houses mindlessly, just to satisfy lust and greed of ignorant people to earn money.
ii) Indian Government is also to follow blindly the wasteful American model to convert food-grains into meat through animals by permitting opening of several new slaughter houses. one must ponder seriously over the above noted startling and bare facts. We cannot afford to be so wasteful in food grains. If we resort to slaughter house culture or meat eating, we will be depriving our poor brethren from its share of food.
This should be treated as an unpardonable crime. Goverment's first priority is to eradicate hunger and not to be permit wasteful practises like slaugherhouses. The slaughterhouse culture results in price increases of diary product as well as it makes the cereals unaffordable to the poor man. slaughtering is not only crushing the common man's economy but is also endangering its very existence!
iii) In India, man and animal are complementary to each other. In one household, if one animal is fed and kept as pet, the animal in turn maintains the family by milk, dung and service.
iv) A Cow yields 3500 kg of dung per year, which translates into a compost worth Rs. 18000/ -. It contains 800 kg of Nitrogen, 560kg of Phosphorus and 1040 kg of Potassium ! 
D) COUNTER PROOF 
By doing backward calculations, we can rediscover and re-establish the relationship between consumption of an American and an Indian. An average healthy person reguires 140-150 kg of solid direct food-grains per year. An Indian may be needing 140kg, whereas an American may be indulging in excess i.e. 150kg.
A Survey report says that an American eats 88kg of beef and chicken, whereas an Indian consumes 3.4 kg of it. Hence the direct grain consumption for an. American and Indian amounts to 150-88=62 kg. and 140-3.4 = 136.6kg : respectively.
Therefore the total equivalent food-grain consumption for them would be (with conversion ratio of 12):- 62+88x12 = 1117 kg for an American and 136.6+3.4x12=177 Kg for an Indian, These figures compare very well with those given above in point ( B) above.
E) CONCLUSION -
i) It is now clear that increase in meat production is directly contributing to shortage of foodgrains for human consumption. The global food shortage is the direct consequence of rampant conversion of food-grains into meat through animals. The solution lies in stopping conversions, 
ii) For it, the American companies have to stop their misplaced propaganda for meat eating and abandon the production of Secondary converted foods, with as seriousness as the dismantling of facilities for production of nuclear weapons or weapons of mass destruction.
iii) At least, committed Governments must put a ban, with immediate effect, on new slaughter houses, as a first concrete step in this direction.
 Dr. Jeoraj Jain 
 40, Kamani Centre, 2nd Fl., Bistupur, Jamshedpur - 831001, 
 T/F : 0657-2227572