India Will Lead International Millet Year 2023 Says Modi

NEW DELHI (ANI) – India will steer the celebration of International Millet Year 2023 and organize campaigns to promote the cultivation and consumption of nutri-cereals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.

The Prime Minister’s message was conveyed at the opening ceremony for the International Year of Millets (IYM) 2023 organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in Rome.

India had sponsored the proposal for the International Year of Millets 2023 which was accepted by the United Nations General Assembly. The declaration has been instrumental for the government of India to be at the forefront of celebrating the IYM.

Millets are considered ‘Smart Food’ as they are easy to cultivate, mostly organic, and contain high nutritional value. India has said it will steer the world towards food and nutritional security.

Director General, FAO, Qu Dongyu said the IYM 2023 will provide us with a unique opportunity to give visibility to crops that have great potential to strengthen global nutrition, food security, decent jobs, and economies while accelerating climate action.

To mark the significance of the day in India, several initiatives have been taken by the Department of Agriculture. These include an extensive social media campaign on the importance of millets in the Indian context, showcasing the government’s collective effort for sustaining the momentum, citizen engagement drives involving all other ministries, and several other outreach activities to celebrate IYM.