Agriculture ministry, NAFED sign MoU to boost international year of millets 2023

The department of agriculture, farmers welfare and the national agricultural cooperative marketing federation of India signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Monday to boost the initiative to promote millets towards the celebration of the international year of millets 2023.

Both organisations will work together for the promotion and marketing of millet-based products, keeping in view the initiative of the international ear of millets (IYOM)-2023, according to the statement by the agriculture ministry.

As India gears to bring millet back on the global map, they will build support and organise, promote, market, and forge effective market linkages for millet-based products to maximise the value capture and millet-based commodities across the country, the statement added.

In 2018, the government decided to mark the national year of millets.

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In the same year, the government also notified millets as nutri-cereals and included them under the POSHAN Mission Abhiyan.

Later, they pitched the proposal to the United Nations for declaring 2023 as the International Year of the Millets.

With the support of the proposal from 72 other countries, India’s initiative to promote millets was recognised and the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 5 March 2021, declared the year 2023 as the international year of the millets.

The department of agriculture and farmers welfare and the national agricultural cooperative marketing federation will collaborate in key areas like facilitating advisory support to manufacturers and processors of millet-based products to develop value-added millet-based commodities.

These include on boarding of start-ups, inclusive of startups empanelled with Indian Institute of Millets Research (IIMR), formation of FPOs specifically for developing a range of millet-based products, promote and market millet-based products through the network of NAFED Bazaar stores, as well as the installation of millet based vending machines at various locations across Delhi-NCR.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also highlighted the benefits of millets to both farmers and consumers in his latest address of his radio programme Mann ki Baat.