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HomePosts Tagged "ASEAN"
AgroPolicy, Foodgrains, India, SAARC

The aim of this festival is to raise awareness and create a market for millets and millets-based products among the ASEAN Member states

The Indian Mission to ASEAN in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is organising the ASEAN-India Millet Festival 2023, in Indonesia. The inaugural session of the festival took place in the Kota Kasablanka Mall, a prominent shopping destination in South Jakarta, Indonesia. A Millet-centric exhibition is being held as part of the festival featuring participation from Millet-based FPOs, start-ups and Indian chefs.

Aligned with the International Year of Millets (IYM) celebrations, an aim of this festival is to raise awareness and create a market for millets and millets-based products among the ASEAN Member states i.e. Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. During the festival, the Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare is leading a delegation from India, representing a diverse set of professionals engaged in the Indian millet ecosystem, including chefs, start-ups, representatives from Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), industry leaders, state officials and more.

Additional Secretary at DA&FW and Head of the Indian Delegation Dr Maninder Kaur Dwivedi provided valuable insights into millet cultivation, processing and the business potential of these ancient grains. Joint Secretary (Crops) at DA&FW Shubha Thakur showcased India’s leading role in celebrating the International Year of Millets 2023 and the Indian government’s initiatives to encourage the adoption of millets through a captivating video, setting the stage for insightful panel discussions. Additionally, Deputy Head of BPN Dr Andriko Noto Susanto further highlighted the remarkable prospects of millet cultivation and its role in diversifying the South Asian food basket.

The exhibition aims to foster collaboration between ASEAN countries, celebrate cultural and culinary diversity and promote sustainable millet practices for a healthier future. The exhibition will also feature five Indian FPOs, namely Citi Block FPC, Jewargi Taluka Millets FPC, Bhumitrajalalpur, Vaam Agro, and Lambasingi Tribal Products FPC, and two start-ups namely Taru Naturals and Sattva Millets and Food Products (Mibbles) exhibiting unique millet-added products such as millet cookies, namkeen, khakhra, cakes, and more.

The aim of this festival is to

Agro Universities, Agrotech, Environment, Foodgrains, R&D, Sustainability

ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint seminars between and among their experts and scientists to discuss and identify joint activities in the areas of rice landscapes and biodiversity

IRRI’s Director Jean Balié and Deputy Director General for Strategy, Engagement and Impact, Joanna Kane-Potaka recently met with ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Executive Director Dr Theresa Mundita S. Lim to lay the groundwork for more active partnerships with the promotion of agrobiodiversity in the region.

Most recently, ACB has contributed significantly to two CGIAR-IRRI Innovate for Food Program intervention packages that are focused on enhancing ASEAN agrobiodiversity use and landscape biodiversity as well as climate neutrality and circular agriculture.

Agriculture, fisheries, and forests agrobiodiversity, including the genetic diversity, of animals, plants, and microorganisms used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture is critical to nutrition security, ecosystem service provision, and the resilience of agroecosystems. Yet, the ASEAN region continues to lose agrobiodiversity and associated traditional knowledge at an alarming rate.

“Indeed, there is poor understanding at all levels of society of what agrobiodiversity actually is and its critical role in initiatives that promote food security and nutrition, nature-positive solutions, sustainable and circular agriculture, reduction of agrochemicals use, and carbon neutrality. We acknowledge and value the knowledge and critical roles organizations like ACB have toward addressing this issue,” Balié said.

To this end, ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint seminars between and among their experts and scientists to discuss and identify joint activities in the areas of rice landscapes and biodiversity.

Beyond the regional program and cooperation between the two institutions, the meeting was also intended to explore ways to increase synergies with the Southeast Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and the University of the Philippines – Los Baños. ACB also expressed openness to co-chair a scientific session with IRRI on agrobiodiversity in rice landscapes in the upcoming 6th International Rice Congress happening in Manila, Philippines on 16-19 October.

“It is so important we do not work only in our expert silos. We talked about solutions that are a win for biodiversity and a win for agriculture, specifically, rice systems. There are often trade-offs but this is the role of science and our own commitment to ensure we find a win-win,” Kane-Potaka said.

ACB and IRRI are exploring conducting joint

India

India to promote nutritious cereal products for public health and nutrition

The 7th ASEAN-India Ministerial Meeting (AIMMAF) on Agriculture and Forestry was held virtually. The meeting was co-chaired by the Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar.

Tomar, in his opening remarks during the meeting, reiterates Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of keeping ASEAN at the centre of India’s Act East Policy, he also emphasised on mutually close regional cooperation with ASEAN to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth for agricultural development in the region. Referring to the importance of millet (nutritional-cereals) as a nutritious food and the international nutritional-cereal year 2023. 

Tomar said that India will promote nutritious cereal products for the health and nutrition of the people. Nutritious cereals help in the creation of nutritious, with low resource requirement and more efficient agri-food systems.

The meeting also welcomed the 30th anniversary of ASEAN-India relations. In the meeting, the commitment to ASEAN-India cooperation in agriculture and forestry was reaffirmed.

India to promote nutritious cereal products for