NITI Aayog – UN WFP Agreement Highlights:
- Partnership between NITI Aayog and UN WFP focuses to mainstream the millets.
- This partnership conjointly aims to make resilient livelihoods for small-farmers and adaptation capacities towards global climate change moreover as reworking food systems.
Why in news?
NITI Aayog has entered into an agreement with the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) to handle problems associated with the inclusion of millets in government programmes, so as to produce a additional heterogenous food basket underneath its free food distribution programme, with a spotlight on coarse grains and millets.
Key focus area
The focus would get on mainstreaming millets and rising climate resilient agriculture to spice up food and nutrition security in Asian country, in keeping with a declaration of intent issued by the Aayog and therefore the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).
Initiatives taken to promote millets
Several initiatives have been made to promote millets, according to the statement, including the development of a centre for excellence, the inclusion of nutri-cereals in the National Food Security Act, and the establishment of Millet Missions in several states.
“However, many hurdles in terms of production, distribution, and customer adaptability remain,” it concluded.
“Under the distribution system, it’s spare time activity to shift the main focus of food distribution programmes off from ‘calories fundamentalism’ and toward providing a additional heterogenous food basket, together with coarse grains and millets, to boost the biological process standing of pre-school youngsters and girls of generative age,” it said, adding that the Aayog and therefore the World Food Programme shall determine and address these challenges in an exceedingly systematic and effective manner.
In accordance with a United Nations General Assembly resolution, the govt recognized 2018 as a year of millets to stimulate and promote millet production in Asian country, and 2023 because the International Year of Millets.
Different steps taken by government to promote millets
Government has taken various steps to promote millets
- Establishing the centre for excellence
- Integration of both the nutri-cereals with the National Food Security Act and
- Millet mission in multiple states
After taking all these steps, many challenges do exist in terms of production, distribution and adaptability among consumers.
Way Ahead
NITI Aayog and UN WFP will together lead following exercises:
- Advancement of an abridgment of good practices around millets working together.
- Offer specialized help to increase millets mainstreaming through extraordinary commitment in select states with the assistance of state legislatures, IIMR and other related organizations.
