India must strive to become the global capital of millets: Piyush Goyal
Minister lauds Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s bid to promote millets to combat malnutrition and challenges to food
security
Minister calls for exploration of newer international and domestic markets for
millets
Goyal asks for renewed focus on research and development activities on millets
Union Minister
of Commerce and Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution and
Textiles, Shri Piyush Goyal said that India must strive to become the global
capital of millets. He was addressing the gathering at the ‘Millets-Smart
Nutritive Food’ Conclave in New Delhi today.
The Minister said that the Millets-Smart Nutritive Food
Conclave and the first international buyer-seller meet on millets being held on
the side-lines of the Conclave would help prepare the country for the
‘International Year of Millets 2023’. He added that UN has accepted 2023 to be
the international year of millets at India’s request which was endorsed by over
70 countries.
The Minister referred to India’s presidency of the G20
and the presidency of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and said that
this mantle of leadership clearly reflected India’s growing stature in the
world stage.
Goyal pointed out that India had celebrated its Year of
Millets in 2018 and said that the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi had
consistently promoted millets as a food that will help take nutrition to the
remotest parts of India and the world. The world has accepted several such initiatives
championed by India from Yoga to Millets, a clear reflection of the Prime
Minister’s global leadership and the success of his bid to promote the
India-story across the world, he opined.
The Minister observed that the call for ‘LIFE-Lifestyle
for Environment’ given by the Prime Minister had also found resonance all over
the world, making it realize that it must adopt a much more sustainable
lifestyle. He underscored that the world has been looking up to the leadership
of PM Modi to resolve significant global problems, be it climate change,
post-pandemic economic recovery or the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. “PM
Modi is working towards collective global good and resolving global problems
and millets is one such initiative that will solve the global problem of
malnutrition and take affordable food to parts of the world where we face
problems of malnutrition or food security”, he said.
The Minister
lauded APEDA for the remarkable work it had done so far and expressed
confidence that its efforts would promote Indian millets all over the world and
link India with international markets.
Goyal termed
millets and ‘nature’s gift to mankind’ because of its tremendous nutritive
value. Quoting PM Modi, the Minister said that “millets or coarse grains have
been a part of India’s agriculture, culture and civilization since ancient
times” and added that millets are both climate friendly and capable of
combating lifestyle diseases. He spoke of the value of millets as a fodder and
said that millets had truly multidimensional benefits.
The Minister called for many more such international
buyer-seller meets, food festivals, culinary competitions around millets and
opined that millets could also be made a part of the mid-day meal program.
The Minister pointed out there were around 250 startups
being supported by the centre working on millets and that Indian Institute of
Millets Research has been incubating startups on millets and suggested that the
Indian Institute of Packaging could be roped in to innovate and improve
packaging of millets and millet products.
The Minister asked that ‘NOURISH’ be used as our call to
action for promoting millets;
·
‘N’ for
‘newer markets and destinations’,
· ‘O’ for the need to promote ‘organic methods’ of millet
cultivation to make it more valuable and acceptable globally
· ‘U’ for protection and GI tagging of ‘unique varieties’
of millets
· ‘R’ for ‘research on millets’ to develop faster
growing, tastier varieties of millet and to expand market potential
· ‘I’ for more ‘industry involvement’ in product, market
and value chain development
· ‘S’ for ‘standards and ‘sustainability’ to ensure the
high-quality millets and millet products
·
‘H’ for
‘home markets’ and ‘high productivity’
The Minister said that we must work together to
mainstream the millet story and make millets globally acceptable to solve
problems of malnutrition and starvation that many parts of the world continue
to face.
In his address, Secretary, Department of Commerce, Sunil
Barthwal said that many of the millet related startups came into this business
after PM Modi declared that 2023 would year of Millets. He added that several
more buyer-seller meets would be organized in India and abroad in the time to
come to promote millets and millet products.
Pointing out that this was a new beginning where
processors were directly procuring from farmers, Barthwal said that this would
benefit both farmers and startups. I am sure the culture of growing and consume
millets will increase over the next few years, he observed.
Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Manoj Ahuja,
Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, S Srinivas, Chairman, APEDA, Angamuthu,
senior government officials and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.