Indian embassy organises Nepal-India Agri Meet to focus on potential of millets

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The Indian Embassy here has organised an India-Nepal Agri Meet cum curtain-raiser for the International Year of Millets 2023 to highlight the importance as well as the potential of the superfood in ensuring food security for the world.

The meet organised on Thursday in association with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) saw participation from various institutions, including from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR), according to a press statement issued by the Embassy of India.

The event, which from the Nepali side was led by Dr. Govind Prasad Sharma, Secretary Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, also adopted a resolution to celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM 2023) in the United Nations in 2021.

The resolution is an initiative of India and is supported by 72 other countries.

Sharma spoke about the importance millets hold in Nepal and also identified the areas of bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector.

Addressing the programme, Prasanna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India, highlighted the importance as well as the potential of millets in ensuring food security for the world.

Dr. Tarun Bajaj, the Director of APEDA, elaborated on the export promotion and capacity-building efforts by APEDA toward IYM 2023.

India is the world's largest producer of millets -- producing 17 million tonnes annually of nine different varieties of millets, which is about 20 per cent of the global production.

Millets offer unique nutritional benefits and can grow on arid land with minimal rainfall and are relatively resilient to changes in climate.

They offer an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains, according to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

Dr. Ram Krishna Shrestha, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, delivered a presentation on Millets Promotion Endeavours of the Government of Nepal and International Year of Millets 2023.