PM Modi inaugurates Shree Anna Conference in boost to year of millets

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Global Millets Conference in the presence of industry stakeholders, the growing community as well as agriculture ministers from many countries.

At the inauguration ceremony, the President of Guyana, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, congratulated the Prime Minister for organizing this conference. The conference will contribute to solving the problem of food shortage, he said in a video message. He also offered 200 acres of land in Guyana for the exclusive cultivation of millet as part of the UN International Year of Millet movement.

The prime minister also received praise from Ethiopia's president, Sahle-Work Zewde, who said the conference would inspire global governments to boost millet production. These discussions will inform the upcoming 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, she added. The Ministers of Agriculture of Guyana, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname and Gambia were present at the event.

The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2023 as the International Year of Millet (IYM) on the proposal of India.

India is positioning itself as a "global millet hub". As part of this, the involvement of stakeholders from across government, states and UTs, growers, startups and traders is sought. They are encouraged to promote awareness around Shree Anna. The conference is working towards this goal. The two-day global conference is expected to witness sessions on many issues related to millets such as creating promotion and awareness of millets among producers, consumers and other stakeholders.

The development of the millet value chain will also be discussed. The health and nutritional benefits of millet will also be emphasized during these discussions. In addition, marketing and research and development will also be in the spotlight. The conference is attended by ministers of agriculture from various countries, and will also be attended by international scientists, nutrition and health experts, as well as leaders from the startup community.