24-Nov; External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar today said Millets have increasing relevance in the world today in the backdrop of COVID, climate change, and conflicts. He was speaking at the pre-launch of India’s year-long grand celebration of ‘International Year of Millets 2023″ in New Delhi.Dr Jaishankar stressed that millets are important for food security as well as international relations. He said COVID was a period that reminded the world what a pandemic could do to food security. He said climate changes can lower production and disrupt trade. He suggested that in international relations, much greater attention ought to be given to food security. In his address, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the International Year of Millets will raise awareness about the importance of millets in food security and nutrition. He said India is one of the major producers of millet. He added that millets are a climate-friendly crop that can even be grown in drought-hit areas. He said his Ministry is working in a mission mode to increase millets consumption and production.
