India’s minister for agriculture and farmers’ welfare Radha Mohan Singh has said that the 160th session of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council, currently underway in Rome, has approved India’s proposal to observe an International Year of Millets in 2023.
On behalf of all countrymen, the minister conveyed his gratitude to the countries who voiced their support to India. He added that this will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutri-cereals to the plate, for food and nutrition security and hence increase production for resilience to challenges posed globally by climate change.
The minister said that India’s prowess in agriculture diplomacy has grown. This international endorsement comes in the backdrop of India celebrating 2018 as the national year of millets for promoting cultivation and consumption of these nutri-cereals.
This is further supported by an increase in Minimum Support Prices (MSP) of millets. Millets consists of jowar, bajra, ragi and minor millets together termed as nutri-cereals.
In addition, the FAO council also approved India’s membership to the executive board of the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021.
