KATHMANDU, Dec 17: Embassy of India, Kathmandu, organized an India-Nepal Agri Meet cum Curtain Raiser for the International Year of Millets 2023 on Thursday in hybrid format in association with the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA).
Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) also participated in the event. Nepali side’s participation in the event was led by Secretary (Agriculture Development) at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Govind Prasad Sharma.
The resolution to celebrate the International Year of Millets 2023 (IYM 2023) was adopted by the United Nations in 2021 at the initiative of India with the support of 72 other countries.
Curtain raiser of IME Nepal Literature Festival 2018
According to a statement issued by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, India is the world's largest producer of millets, producing 17 million tons annually of nine different varieties of millets, which is about 20% 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. 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.
Addressing the gathering, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Prasanna Shrivastava highlighted the importance as well as potential of millets in ensuring food security for the world. Director of APEDA Dr Tarun Bajaj elaborated on the export promotion and capacity building efforts by APEDA towards IYM 2023.
From the Nepali side, Secretary Dr Sharma spoke about the importance millets hold in Nepal, and also identified the areas of bilateral cooperation in the agricultural sector. Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Ram Krishna Shrestha delivered a presentation on the “Millets Promotion Endeavours of the Government of Nepal and International Year of Millets 2023”.
The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said that it will continue to promote India-Nepal cooperation in agriculture and will promote millets through a variety of activities centered on the theme of the International Year of Millets 2023.
