India ranks 17th among 43 countries and regions in the Protein Sovereignty Index, scoring 62.1 out of 100 and falling into the 'exposed' category.
Although India produces most of the protein it consumes, imports account for 68.6% of its fertiliser supply by value, leaving food production vulnerable to global disruptions.
India imported a record 7.34 million tonnes of pulses in 2024–25, while the area under pulse cultivation declined from 30.6 million to 26.9 million hectares over three years.
Groundwater supports nearly 60% of India's irrigation, raising concerns about the sustainability of domestic food production.
An estimated 520.1 million Indians, or 35.5% of the population, could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, highlighting inequalities in access to nutritious food.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz has exposed a vulnerability in India's protein supply: its dependence on imported fertilisers and energy to sustain domestic production.
Although India produces most of the protein it consumes, its food system remains vulnerable to disruptions in fertiliser imports, groundwater depletion and unequal access to affordable, nutritious food, according to the newly released Protein Sovereignty Index.
The index assesses the security of countries’ protein supplies, particularly their ability to withstand disruptions to trade, production and agricultural inputs. India ranked 17th among 43 countries and regions, scoring 62.1 out of 100. It was placed in the ‘exposed’ category, one level below ‘resilient’, which requires a score of at least 65.
Protein is essential for growth, tissue repair, muscle maintenance and the production of hormones and enzymes, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Inadequate intake can contribute to malnutrition, particularly among children, while the quality and diversity of protein sources are also important for a balanced diet.
Ensuring a reliable and affordable protein supply is therefore not only a matter of food production but also of nutrition and public health.
Dependence on imported fertilisers
The report, released on October 16 by Full Circle Biotechnology and reviewed by researchers from think tank Chatham House, research organisation International Food Policy Research Institute, research institute Overseas Development Institute, financial services firm StoneX and the Scotland-based University of Stirling, identifies a central contradiction in India's food system: its vulnerability stems less from importing protein-rich foods than from relying on foreign inputs to produce them.
Although very little of the protein consumed in India is imported, foreign sources account for 68.6 per cent of the country's fertiliser supply by value, including imported raw materials and finished products, the assessment found.
India has no viable domestic potash reserves and imports more than 90 per cent of its rock phosphate. Domestic urea production also depends on imported natural gas, leaving agricultural production exposed to international supply disruptions and price shocks.
The crisis in the Strait of Hormuz illustrates the risks associated with these dependencies. “This year’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which around a third of the world’s seaborne fertiliser passes, showed why this matters,” the report said.
The risks extend beyond fertilisers. The report warns that a possible strong El Niño this winter could put additional pressure on food production. It also notes that warming seas off Peru, the world's largest source of fishmeal, have pushed prices of this key ingredient in aquaculture and animal feed to record highs.
Pulse imports rise as cultivation area shrinks
India’s dependence on imports is also evident in pulses, an important source of dietary protein.
The country imported a record 7.34 million tonnes of pulses in 2024-25, equivalent to about a fifth of its domestic supply, according to the index.
Meanwhile, the area under pulse cultivation declined from 30.6 million hectares in 2021–22 to 26.9 million hectares in 2024-25, highlighting the challenge of expanding domestic production to meet demand.
Water stress presents another constraint. Groundwater supports nearly 60 per cent of India’s irrigation, while the country’s internal renewable freshwater availability stands at 1,014 cubic metres per person, below the widely used water-stress threshold of 1,700 cubic metres, the assessment found.
Continued pressure on groundwater could undermine agricultural production, particularly in regions that depend heavily on irrigation.
More than 520 million Indians cannot afford a healthy diet
Beyond production and imports, affordability remains a major challenge.
An estimated 520.1 million people, or 35.5 per cent of India’s population, could not afford a healthy diet in 2025, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World (SOFI) 2026 report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
The richest 10 per cent of households consumed 1.5 times as much protein as the poorest 10 per cent, while poorer households consumed only 38 per cent of the recommended intake of eggs, fish and meat.
Together, these findings highlighted the gap between producing enough food nationally and ensuring that people have reliable access to diverse sources of protein. India’s challenge is to make its protein supply less vulnerable to external shocks, more sustainable in its use of natural resources and more affordable for households.