New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India has become a food surplus country and is working to provide solutions for global food and nutritional security.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 32nd International Conference of Agricultural Economists (ICAE), which is being organised in India after 65 years, the Prime Minister said:
- In India, even today we plan by keeping in mind the six seasons. We have 15 agricultural climatic zones – all have their own speciality.
- Our traditions and experiences about food and agriculture are as ancient as our country. In the agricultural tradition of India, science and logic are given priority.
- We have the Ayurvedic science of consuming food with medicinal effects. It has been a part of our Indian society.
- Almost 2000 years back, a Granth namely ‘Krishi Parashar’ was written, it’s a heritage for human history.
- If you travel some 100 km here, agriculture practice changes. This diversity makes India a ray of hope for the food security of the World.
- Today, India is a food surplus country which is the biggest producer of milk, spices and lentils
- The Union Budget 2024-25 focuses on sustainable agriculture.
- Now, India is a food surplus country.
- India is the number one producer of milk, pulses and spices in the world.
- The country has become the second-largest producer of food grains, fruits, vegetables, cotton, sugar and tea.
- There was a time when India’s food security was a concern for the world. Now, India is working to provide solutions for global food security and global nutritional security.
- India has provided 1,900 new climate-resilient varieties of crops in the last 10 years.
- India is promoting chemical-free natural farming.
- The country is moving towards achieving the 20 per cent ethanol blending target in petrol.
- Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, a farmer leader who contributed to raising the farmers and took them to the mainstream during India’s struggle for freedom, in India we have a statue of him – Statue of Unity which is the tallest statue in the world, twice higher than the Statue of Liberty.
- The parts of iron equipment used by the farmers in the field have been collected from the 6 lakhs villages of the country and are used in that statue
- Along with water shortage and climate change, nutrition is a big challenge but India has a solution for this – India is the biggest producer of millets – which, the world calls a superfood, we have named it Shri Ann.
- Based on the principle of minimum water and maximum production, India’s superfood can solve the issue of global nutrition concern. India is willing to share its basket of superfoods with the world…
The triennial conference, attended by about 1,000 delegates from around 70 countries, organised by the International Association of Agricultural Economists, is being held from August 2 to 7. The theme for this year’s conference is “Transformation Towards Sustainable Agri-Food Systems”.
