In 1973, during landmark talks with Henry Kissinger, Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong made a startling proposition. China was poor, he said, with little to export. “What we have in excess is women.” He first suggested sending “some tens of thousands,” then escalated: “Do you want our Chinese women? We can give you ten million.”

The remark, met with laughter in the room (including from women present), was partly jest and partly a blunt commentary on China’s demographic and economic pressures. Mao framed it as a way to ease burdens, fewer mouths to feed, and potentially generate remittances or goodwill. Premier Zhou Enlai added that it would, of course, be voluntary. The episode, declassified years later, highlighted the desperation of post-Cultural Revolution China amid poor harvests and rural hardship.

Half a century later, a parallel logic, grim and pragmatic, may confront India. Malthus argued in 1798 that population growth would inevitably outstrip agricultural capacity, producing periodic crises of famine and deprivation. The specifics change; the impulse to view people as mouths to feed rather than productive agents does not.

India faces a confluence of shocks in 2026. The ongoing Iran war has severely disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for energy and fertilizer trade. Urea prices have skyrocketed as supplies from the Gulf, a major global source, are choked off.

Compounding this is the forecast of a strong El Niño, bringing hotter, drier conditions across Asia. For India, this threatens the monsoon, key for Kharif crops like rice, and reduces soil moisture for winter planting. Rural families, often with razor-thin margins and limited savings, are especially vulnerable. Higher oil prices from Hormuz disruptions feed into broad inflation, squeezing household budgets further.

Agriculture remains the backbone for hundreds of millions. Poor harvests do not just mean higher food prices; they risk widespread rural distress, debt traps, and migration. Meanwhile, the IT and BPO sectors, long pillars of India’s services export economy, face automation pressures from AI, leading to job shedding even before external shocks arrive.

In this scenario, policymakers may quietly weigh extreme options to stabilize the economy: reducing domestic consumption pressures by encouraging large-scale emigration, particularly of women, who could form families abroad and send hard currency remittances home. Ten million is a staggering figure, but it echoes Mao’s calculus: fewer mouths at home, potential forex inflows, and demographic relief in strained rural areas.