UN FARM FUND CHIEF PRAISES INDIA'S MILLET FOCUS

Lario also said that India's G20 presidency has the potential to "transform" the global food systems

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India has received praise from the United Nations Fund for agricultural development for revitalizing its emphasis on millets and for exporting 1.8 million tonnes of wheat to 18 countries that experienced severe food shortages last year due to the conflict in Ukraine.

Alvaro Lario, the president of the International Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD), also said that India's G20 presidency has the potential to transform the global food systems as some of New Delhi's priority areas are in sync with that of the UN body.

In an exclusive interview to the media, Lario, a noted development finance expert, said the Indian expertise could support the agricultural and rural development in other countries in the Global South.

“We also appreciate India’s exports of wheat - 1.8 million tonnes - to 18 countries facing an acute shortage last year in the wake of the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Lario was in India to attend the G20 agriculture ministers meeting. The IFAD is a specialised agency of the UN that has been focusing on financing projects in various poor and vulnerable countries to help them battle poverty, hunger and food insecurity.

“India has also shown thoughtful leadership in SouthSouth cooperation. I very much appreciate, for instance, India’s focus on the revival of millets,” he said.