The High Commission of India in Wellington hosted a live telecast of the Global Millets Conference 2023 inaugurated by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on March 18.
Briefing members of the Indian diaspora at the high commission premises, High Commissioner of India to New Zealand Neeta Bhushan noted that India had “taken the lead on a number of platforms, including the Presidency of the G20 and the launch of the International Yoga Day in 2015.”
She said India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, in recent years, led several initiatives on the global stage on issues such as climate change, the international solar alliance and the coalition for disaster, “and today the Global Millets Conference has been launched.”
Invitees at the High Commission of India in Wellington witnessed, via live conference, Prime Minister Modi inaugurating the two-day conclave on millets in the Indian capital, which was attended by representatives from numerous countries.
In his address, Modi reminded the gathering that India had successfully campaigned for the United Nations to declare the International Year of Millets back in 2021.
The prime minister unveiled a commemorative coin and a postal stamp to mark the occasion and declared the Indian Institute of Millets Research (affiliated to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research) a global centre of excellence.
For the benefit of the foreign delegates in the audience, Modi explained the branding of millet as “Shree Anna.”
“Those acquainted with the Indian tradition will understand the importance of prefixing Shree before anything,” he noted.
“Shree Anna is becoming a medium of holistic development in India,” the Indian PM said, adding, “It is linked with ‘gaon’ (village) and ‘garib’ (poor).”
Millets opened the door to prosperity for small farmers, were a source of nutrition to the masses, a hardy crop that required little water and were resilient to climate change, Modi observed.
The per capita monthly consumption of millets in India had gone up from 3kg to 14kg. “Millets have been selected in 19 districts of India under the One District, One Product scheme,” he pointed out.
Modi predicted that the foodgrain would play a transformational role in the Indian countryside with 2.5 crore farmers already engaged in the cultivation of the crop. Women had formed self-help groups in villages that were involved in making millet-based products that were finding their way to malls and supermarkets.
Modi said millets were integral to India’s global goals.
“Be it leading the LIFE mission or achieving climate change goals ahead of schedule, India draws inspiration from its heritage, drives change in society, and brings it to the fore of global wellbeing,” he observed.
Modi raised the challenge of food security faced by the poor in the Global South and juxtaposed this with the prevalence of lifestyle related diseases and unhealthy food choices in the Global North.
“On the one hand, we have the problem of food security and, on the other hand, the problem of food habits,” Modi noted, while stressing the dependence on chemicals in food production in the West.
Modi advocated the cultivation of millets as an antidote to the problems caused by unhealthy and hazardous agricultural practices. He also wanted the grain to be included in the mid-day meal scheme in schools across India.
Modi ended his address on an optimistic note, saying, “With the joint efforts of farmers and all the stakeholders, food will add a new sheen to India’s prosperity and that of the world at large.”
At the inaugural ceremony held in the Indian capital, the Indian PM was accompanied on the dais by a bevy of central government ministers, including Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar and Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal, among others.
The foreign dignitaries included the agricultural ministers of various countries, scientists, nutritionists, health experts, and other stakeholders.
In Wellington, the guests at the High Commission of India were treated to delicacies made of millet before they dispersed.
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