Indian mission in Kathmandu holds event on International Year of Millets 2023

Dec 17, 2022

Kathmandu (Nepal), Dec 17 (ANI): The Indian mission in Kathmandu recently organized an India-Nepal Agri Meet cum curtain raiser for the International Year of Millets 2023 in a hybrid format in association with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA). The Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) participated in the event. From the Nepali side's participation in the event was led by Govind Prasad Sharma, Secretary (Agriculture Development), Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Nepal. The resolution to celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM 2023) was adopted in the United Nations in 2021 at the initiative of India with the support of 72 other countries. 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 relatively resilient to changes in climate. According to FAO, they offer an ideal solution for countries to increase self-sufficiency and reduce reliance on imported cereal grains.India-Nepal agricultural cooperation is anchored in the 'India-Nepal New Partnership in Agriculture', which was launched in 2018 with a focus on collaborative projects in agricultural research, development and education. India and Nepal are also significant trading partners of each other for a variety of agricultural products, including millets. Prasanna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Kathmandu, spoke at the event, emphasising the importance and potential of millets in ensuring global food security. Tarun Bajaj, Director of APEDA, elaborated on the export promotion and capacity-building efforts by APEDA toward IYM 2023. The Indian embassy in Kathmandu continues to promote India-Nepal cooperation in agriculture and millets through various activities centred around the theme of the International Year of Millets 2023.