Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that India has the solution in the form of millet farming to address global challenges on nutrition, water scarcity and climate change and mentioned that challenges before sustainable agriculture and food systems can only be tackled under the holistic approach of ‘One Earth, One Family and One Future’.

Acknowledging the seriousness of the nutrition challenge, Modi said: “In today’s time, along with water shortage and climate change, nutrition is also a big challenge. India also has its solution.” He presented Shri Anna (millets) as the solution saying it has the superfood’s quality of ‘minimum water and maximum production’. He offered the goverment’s willingness to share India’s millet basket with the world.

Inaugurating the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE) in Delhi, Modi recalled that when last time the conference was held in India 65 years ago, the world was concerned about India’s food security. But, now India is engaged in providing solutions to global food and nutrition security, he added.

The triennial conference organized by the ICAE is being held during August 3-7 2024 with the theme -- Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems.

The conference, to be attended by around 1,000 delegates from 75 countries, is scheduled to highlight India’s proactive approach to global agricultural challenges and showcase the country’s agricultural research and policy advancements.

The Prime Minister took the opportunity to reach out to the global audience by describing various initiatives of his government in last 10 years as well as mentioned some of the Budget proposals on sustainable agriculture.

Modi said India was a newly independent nation making it a challenging time for the country’s food security and agriculture when the ICAE event was last held.

“Today India is a food surplus country, the largest producer of milk, pulses and spices, and the second largest producer of food grain, fruits, vegetables, cotton, sugar, tea and farmed fish,” he said and added that India’s experience is valuable for discussions on food system transformation and is sure to benefit the global south.

Further, he also spoke about the longevity of ancient Indian beliefs and experiences in agriculture. Claiming that priority was given to science and logic in the Indian agriculture tradition, he said that there is existence of whole science behind the medicinal properties of food.

Agriculture in India grew on the foundation of ‘Krishi Parashar’, an almost 2000-year-old treatise based on the rich heritage, he said and cited the example of th government’s focus on sustainable farming.

He said that the positive results of promoting chemical-free natural farming on a large scale can be seen in the country. Further, he also said that India has developed rice varieties that require 25 per cent less water than traditional varieties.

Union Minister for Agriculture Shivraj Singh Chauhan, NITI Aayog Member Ramesh Chand and Director General of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Himanshu Pathak were also present on the occasion.

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