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National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), under the aegis of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), hosted a high-level international delegation comprising of 17 representatives from the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) region, National Fortification Alliances, including technical experts and policymakers and officials from the West African Health Organization (WAHO), underlining the regional significance of this knowledge-sharing initiative, visited NIFTEM-K to study India’s successful food fortification initiatives

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management, Kundli (NIFTEM-K), under the aegis of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), hosted a high-level international delegation comprising of 17 representatives from the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) region, National Fortification Alliances, including technical experts and policymakers and officials from the West African Health Organization (WAHO), underlining the regional significance of this knowledge-sharing initiative, visited NIFTEM-K to study India’s successful food fortification initiatives. The visit, organised by German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) brought together representatives from Burkina Faso, Senegal, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Benin, and Madagascar.

“This exchange represents a significant milestone in international cooperation for food fortification. As an Institute of National Importance, NIFTEM-K is proud to share India’s expertise and technological innovations in food fortification with our partners from Africa, contributing to global nutrition security” said Dr. Harinder Singh Oberoi, Director of NIFTEM-K.

The interactions led to deliberations over the international cooperation for fortification initiative. Mr. Arvind Kumar (Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Food Processing Industries-MoFPI), in his special address, emphasized on the crucial role of the Ministry in supporting such collaborative initiatives to enhance global nutrition. He also mentioned the important flagship schemes of the Ministry including PMKSY, PLISFPPI and the PMFME etc. Interactive session by the experts discussed over fortification standards, regulations, trade practices in India and the globe. Sh Arun Om Lal, Industry Chair Professor, NIFTEM-K while moderating the session provided insights into NIFTEM-K’s infrastructure, research capabilities, fortification facilities and advanced food processing facilities at pilot plants as well as FSSAI notified food testing facility of CFRA, underscoring its role in capacity building and industry partnerships.

Dr. Komal Chauhan, Head-CEFF and Dean (Research & Outreach), NIFTEM-K, warmly welcomed the national and international delegates, fostering meaningful discussions on strengthening fortification policies, scaling up effective interventions, and advancing food security. The visit provided a platform for knowledge exchange, international collaboration, and strategic partnerships, reinforcing NIFTEM’s commitment to driving innovation and excellence in food fortification on a global scale.

National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and

AgroPolicy, India, R&D, Sustainability

Important outcomes included identifying the critical need for aligning the centres’ research activities with the country’s priorities and planning for a similar meeting every year

At the invitation of the Government of India’s Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, 16 International Agricultural Research Centers (IARCs), including 10 CGIAR centres attended a meeting at ICRISAT Headquarters in Hyderabad, to update on their research activities in India and innovations in the pipeline.

Important outcomes included identifying the critical need for aligning the centres’ research activities with the country’s priorities and planning for a similar meeting every year in January/ February to synergise the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and the IARCs’ research activities.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Government of India, who participated virtually, set the context of the meeting. In his concluding remarks, he expressed the need to ‘institutionalise’ the annual meeting to integrate knowledge from all the centres and plan effectively both for the short, medium and long-term research goals.

“Any knowledge, idea or practice useful to the farmer in India, should reach them as quickly as possible before the opportunity is lost. We need a sandbox environment to test new ideas/ knowledge and then quickly roll it out and find out how much it can be scaled out,” Manoj Ahuja.

Shubha Thakur, Joint Secretary (Crops, Oil Seeds & Administration, CVO), DA&FW, who participated actively in the discussions, emphasised the need to build strong seed systems and facilitate easy accessibility of improved varieties to farmers. She said she was happy to be part of the ‘first common meeting’ of all the IARCs.

Temina Lalani-Shariff, Regional Director, South Asia, CGIAR, presented case studies on technologies developed by the One CGIAR for regions across India, which were appreciated by officials from DA&FW.

Arvind Kumar, Deputy Director General-Research ICRISAT, highlighted the many achievements of ICRISAT and its work across disciplines and across agriculture for the development value chain. He cited the example of soil and water conservation in Bundelkhand which caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and spoke of plans to out-scale to other regions.

Important outcomes included identifying the critical need