Foodgrain production in India increased a little faster than the population growth rate over the five-decade period after the Independence, resulting in a steady increase in the per capita daily availability of foodgrains from 395 gm in 1951 to a little above 500 gm in 1995. The Union and State Governments built an elaborate system of procurement and public distribution to improve the physical access of people to food. Famines, which were recurrent during the colonial rule were avoided. Efforts were also made by the Governments to improve the economic access of poor people to food through schemes to supply foodgrains at less than economic cost and to generate short-term employment in the slack seasons of labor demand. Yet, about a quarter of the population is estimated to be under-nourished, along with the attendant problems of nutrient deficiencies, diseases and high infant motility rates. The country attained self-sufficiency in food grains but it is now facing the problems of land degradation, water scarcity, excessive use of agro-chemicals in the intensive agriculture areas and high post-harvest losses. With the physical possibility to expand cultivation to new areas virtually exhausted and the yield gains from green revolution tapering off, the sustainability of its further growth in foodgrain production is questioned by some analysts. However, the country may be able to avert large-scale imports in the near future through better management of resources, increased investments and possible breakthroughs in technology. Yet, it would be a Herculean task to sustain increases in foodgrain production; to overcome pollution problems; and to improve the physical and economic access of food to the poorer sections of the society. This paper reviews the agricultural and food policies of the past, analyzes the present strengths and weaknesses of the country and envisions the future food scenario in India.